Mary Bethe Neely

She was born in Manhattan, Kansas, on June 25, 1948 to Marion and Betty Sack. She moved to Wichita at an early age and attended schools there. While earning a chemistry degree at Kansas State University, she met and married Richard Neely. She subsequently earned her Master’s in chemistry at Arizona State University. After moving to Colorado Springs in 1975 they raised one daughter, Karen.

In Colorado Springs, Mary Bethe introduced thousands of college students to the magic of chemistry at Pikes Peak Community College and then, for many years, at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Away from teaching, she was active as a docent at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, member and officer of Junior League of Colorado Springs, a member of P.E.O., and a Girl Scout leader. After she retired in 2016, she and her husband moved to the warm and sunny climate of Surprise, Arizona.

Mother, wife, sister, friend, and teacher are roles she was proud of, but smart, determined, organized, resilient, helping, and kind are words that described her. Missing her but thankful that they had her in their lives are daughter Karen Neely of Big Pine Key, Florida; husband Richard Neely of Surprise, Arizona; brother Joe Sack of Wichita, Kansas; sister Ann Gruenbacher of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven brothers and sisters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.

No services are planned in the near future but contributions in her name to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado are welcomed at cmzoo.org/donate

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.surprisefuneralcare.com for the Neely family.