Carley Marie Neely

Carley Marie Neely went home to be with the Lord on July 12, 2015. She was born in Portland, Oregon to Isaac Arnold Neely and Violet Valena (Faulk) Neely. She grew up in Deer Island and later attended St. Helens High School. After graduating in 1943, Carley worked at the Fir-Tex Plant in St. Helens, flipping sheets of plywood off a conveyor belt onto stacks for shipping. After the war, she moved to Portland and worked for Jantzen Knitting Mills in the finishing rooms. In 1946, she accompanied a pregnant friend who was driving to California to rejoin her soldier husband. After they reached their destination, Carley traveled on her own for a while, ending up in Santa Rosa. It was there that she met and fell in love with Alvin Neely. They were married in 1949 in Yuma, AZ and moved to Los Angeles, where they had two children, Michael and Kathleen.

The family moved to Salem in 1962, eventually settling on a small farm east of Salem. Here they raised chickens and a few beef cows, and planted a huge vegetable garden. In addition, Carley taught herself dog grooming by practicing on the family's poodle, and started her own business at home. She retired when Al did, in 1983. Carley loved working in her garden and greenhouse, tending her flowers, vegetables, and herbs. In later years, she focused on growing "everlasting" flowers, which she turned into beautiful dried arrangements. These she sold at craft shows at the Senior Center and Deepwood, as well as other places around town. Carley was an excellent cook and won blue ribbons at county and state fairs for her pies, cakes, and breads. Although she was a little shy in social situations, Carley laughed easily and had a wonderful sense of humor. She was kind and caring to people and animals alike. She took in stray cats, mended broken bird wings, and often kept a praying mantis in her greenhouse as a pet, bringing it bugs and grubs to eat. Nature fascinated her, and she collected everything from sugar pine cones and bird nests to deer skeletons. Carley was preceded in death by Alvin in 2003. She is survived by her children: Mike Neely (Katharine), of Houston, Texas, and Kat Neely Jones (Pete) of Salem; three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her caregivers, Jennifer and Jay Holcer and their children. They made Carley a true part of their family and filled her last few years with love and laughter.