The text only had four words – “Vickie Hull has passed.”  

The message was short, but the impact on me was like being kicked in the stomach by mule when I received it early Monday evening. We all knew she was sick, but we were also confident she was going to beat metastatic breast cancer.  

I didn’t know Vickie until after I became the executive director of United Way of Bedford County. She was a part of the United Way board, serving as treasurer, and took a continually active role despite having to deal with her cancer and the effects of the treatments.  

I often had to discourage her from trying to be a part of an event knowing it was not in the best interest of her health. She was always the one willing to volunteer her support rather than waiting to be asked no matter what she participated in from United Way to First United Methodist Church to the Shelbyville Rotary Club where she was a Paul Harris Fellow.  

I will miss her willingness to work and not just attend a meeting. She was dedicated to whatever she was involved with.  

Vickie worked at First Community Bank. With her background in numbers and money she was an easy selection for our treasurer.  

My time working with Vickie was much too short. I will always remember her cheerful outlook and zest for life even while cancer was doing everything it could to keep her down. She fought hard over the past several years.  

In the words of poet Dylan Thomas “she did not go gently into that good night.” She raged against the dying of the light” until she could fight no more.  

During her illness she never failed to ask about others who were dealing with health challenges of their own.  

She was a compassionate, nurturing and caring person in world where those traits are becoming increasingly difficult to find.  

On a lighter note, her sense of humor will be missed. She called my car “The Target” because it had been hit so many times.  

The twinkle in her eye has been completely dimmed, but her enthusiasm for life will always be remembered by those who knew her. She had a strong presence which could energize everyone lucky enough to be in a room with her.  

Vickie was a valued volunteer for many organizations, but she never missed a chance to support her three daughters in all of their school activities.  

As her obituary said she was “a supportive wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and friend. She will be missed by all who had the privilege to know her.