Novalou 'Nova' Counts

Novalou 'Nova' Counts (nee Hill), 76, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 1, 2020. She was born to the late Noval and Lucy Hill, March 1943, in Fullerton, California.

Nova was the beloved wife of the late Byron Van Counts, devoted mother of Jennifer Counts, Robyn (John) Parrish and Christopher (Jill) Counts, loving grandmother of Zachary, Ty and Maggie, dear sister of Tammy Bredy, and adored cousin of Randy Long.

Many will remember Nova as an accomplished artist, yet she didn’t discover her talent until she was in her early 30s taking a painting class with friends. Many of her paintings reflected her fondness of the ocean and her love of the quaking aspen trees found in the mountains of Colorado. Sometimes she’d enter a juried show or sell her work, but she was happiest when painting for the sheer joy of it.

Book, books, books. Nova could always be found with a book in her hand – at the beach, the pool, or in a favorite chair. She was partial to historical fiction like Anne of Green Gables, Christy, and Little Women. Libraries and bookstores were happy places.

One of Nova’s long-lasting contributions to her children was her devotion to teaching Bible classes. She developed a Christian Evidences class for fifth grade along with her dear friend Christy, which her former students still reference and talk about. She also developed memorization materials for the plan of salvation: The Salvation Puzzle. These are also still in use.

Although Nova lived in four states (California, Colorado, Maryland, and Ohio), it wasn’t until she was in her 60s that she really began to travel to far away places like France, the Bahamas and Alaska.

Nova was also an eclectic music enthusiast. She enjoyed classical, pop, opera, and on occasion could be found singing and dancing to Motown or ABBA.

Nova was a beautiful, godly woman who quietly impacted lives with her gentle spirit.

Visitation at Mueller Funeral Home, 6791 Tylersville Road, Mason, OH 45040 on Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. Private burial to follow.

If desired, memorials may be directed to Christian Relief Fund, PO Box 19670, Amarillo, TX 79114-1670 (online at www.christianrelieffund.org ) or the Alzheimer's Association, 644 Linn Street, Suite 1026, Cincinnati, OH 45203.

To send a condolence, visit MuellerfuneralS.com  513-398-9100