NEELEY, William Harvey 1924-2016

NEELEY, BOWMAN, CLEVELAND

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 10/9/2016 at 14:28:32

William Harvey ‘Bill’ Neeley

ST. ANSGAR, IOWA — William Harvey “Bill” Neeley (92) was born September 4, 1924, deceased at the Good Samaritan Center in St. Ansgar, Iowa, on October 7, 2016.

William (Bill) Harvey Neeley was born Sept. 4, 1924, on a farm near Plymouth in Worth County, Iowa, to Royal and Elsie (Bowman) Neeley. He was the fourth of five brothers. The family moved to a farm north of St. Ansgar in 1933. Bill graduated from St. Ansgar High School in 1943, married his high school sweetheart Jeannette Cleveland at the St. Ansgar United Methodist Church, and continued to work and live on the family farm.

He farmed for years north of St. Ansgar with his brothers Hugh, Jean, Elwyn, and Marion Neeley. In the 1950s, he formed a partnership with his brother Jean processing milk and opened Neeley’s Dairy. Eventually, he expanded the business to include a drive-in in the front of the business on Fourth Street — Neeley’s Dairy and Drive-In. He provided the first job opportunity to over 200 young people in the St. Ansgar area.

Bill and his wife Jean traveled to Weslaco, TX, each winter for 19 years, serving up pancakes to the residents at Country Sunshine Resort.

Bill was a charter member of the St. Ansgar Future Farmers of America. He was a member of the St. Ansgar Lion’s Club for over 50 years, served as an officer, and, was a recipient of the coveted Melvin Jones Fellow Service Award. He spent tireless hours volunteering to build the original St. Ansgar swimming pool. He served on the Mitchell County Farm Bureau, St. Ansgar Public School Board, local and district United Methodist Church Council, Methodist Men serving as chairman, St. Ansgar City Council, the local Cub and Boy Scouts of America, and Winnebago Council. He enjoyed chasing that “little white ball” at Acorn Park, celebrating his Hole-in-One on No. 8 in 1996.

Bill is survived by his wife Jeannette; children Michael and Cheryl Neeley, Richard and Ruth Neeley, David and Jill Neeley, and Mary Neeley and Hubert Stevens; his grandchildren Matthew and Danielle Neeley, Sarah Rodriguez, Laura Neeley, Eric Neeley, Scott Neeley, Cory and Linda Steward, Carla and Billy Hosch, Chad and Ashley Stevens, Tony Joe and Lauren Stevens, Lisa and Matthew Bayless, Sarah Stevens, Kaylynn Stevens; his sisters-in-law Bert Neeley and Chareen Neeley; and much loved great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his brothers: Hugh, Jean, Elwyn, and Marion; his sisters-in-law Viola and Dorothy; and his daughter-in-law Annette.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in celebration of Bill’s life and service to the community to St. Ansgar First Responders, St. Ansgar United Methodist Church, and Mayo Cancer Research.

The visitation will be at Schroeder and Sites Funeral Home, St. Ansgar, Iowa, on Sunday, October 9, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The funeral services will be at St. Ansgar United Methodist Church on Monday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon in the church parlors. Committal service will be at the St. Ansgar City Cemetery following the luncheon.

Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, St. Ansgar, IA, 641-713-4920,

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette, 9 OCT 2016