R. Chareen Neeley

Ramona Chareen Neeley, 93, died Wednesday, December 20, 2023, in Colorado after suffering a fractured hip during a fall. She will be remembered at a memorial service Saturday, April 6, 2024, on what would have been her 94th birthday. Chareen was born April 6, 1930, to William Oren Cockrum and Desdemona Esmerelda (Graham) Cockrum in Chicago, Illinois. She was a little more than two weeks old when she and her parents moved to Scheller, Illinois, to live with her mother’s parents for a month and half. The family then moved to Morehouse, Missouri, to live with her father’s parents for two months before moving into their home in Bell City, Missouri. The moves throughout southern Illinois and southern Missouri continued throughout her childhood until the family moved to Hanlontown, Iowa, in 1945 in time for her freshman year of high school. Chareen played basketball for Hanlontown and graduated in 1948 as valedictorian of her high school class. After a year’s break, she attended Iowa State Teachers College and graduated with her teaching degree in 1952. Since teachers in Iowa earned more than teachers in Missouri, where her parents had moved while she was in college, Chareen took a job teaching second and third grade at St. Ansgar, Iowa. It was there that she met her husband, Marion. They were married June 5, 1955. Chareen continued to teach until their first child was born in 1956. Chareen returned to teaching when her children were in school, serving as a substitute teacher and later as a Title 11 math specialist at the elementary school. She retired in 1991. Through the years, Chareen was active in a variety of organizations in St. Ansgar, including the I.C.Club and the Garden Club. She served as an officer in both groups and, after serving as president of the St. Ansgar Garden Club, she also served as president of the state Garden Club organization. She was also active at Osage Alliance Church where she served as a Sunday school teacher, Vacation Bible School leader, women’s group leader, AWANA volunteer, deaconess and more. Once she could no longer make the drive to Osage for church, she attended the St. Ansgar Baptist Church. In April of 2023, she moved to Colorado to be near her daughter and her family. She is survived by her daughter, Mona Neeley Clifford (Bob Clifford) her son, Dale; her grandchildren, Jade Toko (Adam Lehman), Zach Clifford, Joel Demuth (Amber), Rosie Petty (Dave), Crystal Brockberg (Derek), and Dustin Demuth (Mica); her great-grandchildren, Caleb Toko, Jaylah Lehman, Ada Demuth, Greta Demuth, James Petty, Luke Petty, Hannah Brockberg, LT Lehman and Terrence Lehman; her brother, Rodger Cockrum; her sisters-in-law Linda Cockrum, Kaye Cockrum and Connie Cockrum; nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and great-great nieces and great-great-nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marion Neeley; her parents; one brother Robert, who died shortly after birth; brothers Richard, Ralph and Ray; and half-brother Thomas and half-sister Patricia. A memorial service will be at 1:30 pm Saturday, April 6, at Osage Alliance Church, 726 State Street, Osage. There will be visitation time from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. just prior to the memorial service. A lunch will follow the service. Burial will be private.