Thomas "Tom" Neely

Tom was the middle son born to Dewey & Lois Neely. He was born in Caruthersville, MO, where he grew up. He served two years in the Air Force in the U.S. Forces, European Command in Germany. He then came home and worked for South Central Bell Telephone Co. where he took an early retirement. He and his family moved to Wardell, MO where he started farming and continued to farm until he retired. His love of animals got the family interested in horses. He rode quite often and later joined the NBHA barrel racing association. He barrel raced until he was 76. He was the oldest member of his district and his horse “Bud” was the oldest competing horse in his district at the time. He and Bud were a team!!! Tom then followed his daughter Tommie to Kisatchie, Louisiana where he has lived since 2006. He continued to take care of his animals that he loved along with Tommie’s horses and dogs. He is preceded in death by his father, Pearl Dewey Neely and mother, Lois Cockrell Neely and his brothers, Billy Joe Neely and Dewey Pearl Neely. He leaves behind three children, Tommie Scoggins and her husband Keith, of Kisatchie, Louisiana; Joe Neely and his wife Lynne, of Oakland, Tennessee and Johnnie Yopp and her husband, Rickie of Vowells Mill, Louisiana; four grand children, Dusty Pike of Caruthersville, Missouri; Ryan and Luke Neely of Oakland, Tennessee and Holly Salter of Port Richie, Florida; one great grandchild, Kyler Carling of Vowells Mill, Louisiana and many, many friends and fellow barrel racers that he had and cared so much about.