Obituary of Dunnie Neely

Hattie Lee Dunn Neely ?Dunnie? Mrs. Neely, 86, of Charlotte died Monday, January 31, 2011 at Sharon Towers. She was born on July 10, 1924 in the Croft Community of Mecklenburg County and was the daughter of John B. Ayers and Irene Dunn Ayers. She was only eighteen months old when her mother died, and she moved to the Paw Creek community to live with her grandparents, David Franklin Dunn and Nancy Herron Dunn on the family farm. She was a member of Cooks Memorial Presbyterian Church and graduated from Paw Creek High School. Following graduation, she moved to Charlotte and worked as a bookkeeper for S.H. Kress Store. On August 31, 1949 she married Ralph Franklin Neely Sr. and moved to the Neely home place in the Steele Creek Community. She joined Steele Creek Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday school, attended circle and was a member of the Query-McDowell Sunday School Class. She was also very active in the Steele Creek community. Mrs. Neely was a member of the Steele Creek Mother's Club and served as a Democratic judge for the election polls. She was a homemaker and kept books for the family farm business. In later years she worked for Delmar Printing in Matthews, NC and Eaton Oil Company in Charlotte. She had many lifelong friends in the Paw Creek and Steele Creek communities, and will be remembered for her sweet, gentle nature and cheerful laugh. Her home was a place where people felt welcome to visit any time, were well fed and pampered. She was a true Southern lady and hostess. She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years Ralph Franklin Neely, Sr. She is survived by her son Ralph Neely Jr. and wife Becky; daughter, Harriette Baker and husband Don, and grandchildren Ralph Neely III, Christian Neely McCall and husband Jonathan, and Donald Baker Jr. The family wishes to thank the staff at Sharon Towers for the love and care they gave our parents over the past 13 years. A committal service for Mrs. Neely will be held in Steele Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery at 10:30 AM Thursday, February 3, 2011, followed by a service to celebrate her life at 11:00 AM, in the sanctuary at Steele Creek Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Dr. W. Jeff Pinkston officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made to Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, 7407 Steele Creek Road, Charlotte, NC 28217 or Sharon Towers Residents Assistance Fund, 5100 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.