Naomi Frances Clary

Naomi Frances Clary, 96, passed away on Thursday, February 24, 2011 in Cheyenne. Naomi left behind a spirit of love and caring for her family and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 3, 2011, at the United Methodist Church in Lewellen with Pastor Ray Weinerman officiating. Interment will follow in the family plot at Ash Hollow Cemetery near Lewellen.

Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday evening with the family present from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church of Lewellen or a charity of your choice.

Family and friends may sign the guest book and leave condolences online at www.holechekfuneralhomes.com.

Holechek Funeral Home & Cremations in Oshkosh is serving the Clary family.

Naomi Clary was born to Warren Riggs and Ella (Wegner) Riggs on Nov. 25, 1914, in Archer, Neb. The family moved to Central City, Neb., where Naomi graduated from high school and attended Nebraska Central College (later William Penn).

When the college closed during the Depression in 1932, she and her friend, Rosa May Dougherty (McCormick), interviewed for teaching positions in the country schools near Lewellen, Neb. Naomi was selected for the position at School District No 37J and Rosa May, a school two miles away. They both taught two years and continued a life-long friendship.

Naomi married Lewellen rancher, Oren V. Clary, on Sept. 22, 1935. The marriage continued for 56 years until Oren's passing in 1991. They had two sons, Warren Powell, of Meridian, Idaho, and Robert Dennis of Cheyenne.

Working together at the Clary Ranch in Ash Hollow, Garden County, Neb., provided a great environment for learning, appreciation of the land, working family relationships and the heritage of the ranch. After her sons left home for college, Naomi returned to teaching. She completed correspondence courses and attended summer school at Chadron State College, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1965. She taught in District 8 and at the Lewellen Grade School for 25 years.

Ranch life provided many challenging experiences for a "city" girl, from raising chickens, providing lunches to the hay crews, dinners at brandings, blizzards and floods, to encountering a mountain lion in the yard at the ranch. She often said, "I could write a book."

Naomi was a member of Order of Eastern Star, Chapter No 264 and served as Worthy Matron in 1952 with her husband, Oren, as Worthy Patron. She was also a member of the Lewellen Methodist Church for over 76 years, participating in the choir and United Methodist Women and its predecessor organizations.

Art and painting were life long interests. She was a charter member of the Ash Hollow Art Club holding the organizational meeting at her home in Ash Hollow. Naomi also was a member and officer of the North Platte Valley Pen Woman, displaying her paintings for 20 years.

Naomi served as registrar for the Halsey Art Workshop in the Halsey National Forest in Nebraska for many years.

Bridge and Pinochle card games with her friends in Lewellen were cherished as well as singing in a sextet, choir and the Community Chorus over the years.

Following retirement, her family was a great source of pride and joy.

Naomi is survived by her sons and their families, Warren (Jeanne) and Robert (Deanna); five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren; and a sister, Rhoda Edlund.

Her parents, Warren and Ella Riggs; her brother, Orval Riggs; and her sister, Rosemary Wilson preceded her in death.