Obituary of James Ewing Neely

Neely, James (JE) Ewing, 82 of Lavergne, passed away March 6, 2012. James was born February 3, 1930 in Stewart County, TN. He married Betty Link, also of Stewart County. James, recently lost the love of his life on November 26, 2011, after 62 years of marriage. James and Betty are once again united to spend eternity together. James left Bumpus Mills, TN, as a teenager to enlist and proudly serve for 23 years in the United States Air Force. Senior Master Sergeant Neely, was the recipient of numerous awards and citations, including the Bronze Star for actions in Vietnam; one of his seven overseas deployments. He was a member of the Lavergne Church of Christ. James is survived by brother, Durwood Neely (Ruth); sister, Bonnie Free; daughters, Deborah J. Elkins (Mike), Rebecca A. Page; son, Jeffery Ewing Neely (Donna); 6 grandchildren, Telisha Gaines (Brad), Angela Elkins (Danny), James Neely (Kate), Travis Page (Brandi), Edward Elkins (Crystal), Bruce Wilson & 13 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Betty Lou Neely; father, Ewing Neely; mother, Velma Simpson Neely and grandson Chad Nash. Special thanks to Alive Hospice Skyline Campus and to the staff at the Smyrna Town Center. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 11am at Woodfin Funeral Chapel, 203 N. Lowry St, Smyrna, TN with Bro. Phil Dunn officiating. Interment will follow the service at Roselawn Cemetery in Murfreesboro, TN with Travis Page, James Neely, Edward Elkins, Danny Campbell and Brad Gaines serving as pallbearers. Claude Price, Larry Lee and John Cooper will serve as honorary pallbearers. Visitation with the family will be at Woodfin Funeral Chapel on Wednesday, March 7th, from 2-4pm and 6-8pm and Thursday March 8th from 10am until time of service. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson St, Nashville, TN 37203