'One heck of a life'

Longtime Bee columnist, journalist remembered

In some ways, Valle Novak was a chameleon. One moment, the longtime Daily Bee society editor and columnist would be making her way through the woods on the hunt for a deer. Or maybe a bear to help feed her family of six kids. The next, she was dressed to the nines — as glamorous as a Hollywood star casually discussing the latest arts and cultural tidbits or interviewing a musical legend. Easily shifting from one to the other, at home in either setting.