Jeanne Clary

Jeanne Clary, 86, of Reno, Nevada, formerly of Lewellen, Nebraska passed away Sunday morning, January 5, 2025 in Reno.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 18, 2025 at the Lewellen Methodist Church with Pastor Corey Jenkins officiating. Burial will follow in the Ash Hollow Cemetery near Lewellen.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to services.

Holechek-Bondegard Funeral Home in Oshkosh is serving the Clary family.

Family and friends can leave condolences at www.bondegardfunerals.com.

Jeanne was born in Big Springs, Nebraska September 11, 1938. Her parents were Reuben and Dorothy (Temple) Carlholm. Jeanne had an older sister, June, and a younger brother, Ray.

Jeanne’s history started before September 11. She was still in the womb and her parents-to-be were living in a small, rented house in the sandhills of Nebraska. A large storm approached, and her parents-to-be entered the storm cellar. After the storm passed, they found that a tornado had completely removed the house. Jeanne was born several months later in Big Springs.

Jeanne grew up on the family ranch 32 miles NE of Lewellen, Nebraska. Jeanne’s love of animals started at a young age. Jeanne started riding on the family pony at two and a half, and by age four, she could ride by herself. Jeanne hit many milestones at a young age. At the age of 5, she fed the calves, and at the age of 8, she would ride her favorite white horse out to the pasture to round up the milking cows. Jeanne loved to help her Dad. She was only 10 when he taught her how to ride a dump rake in the hay field during haying. Clear through high school, Jeanne helped cut and stack hay.

 A memorable experience concerned the “49-blizzard.” The family was trapped at their home for over a month because of blocked roads. A cow had fallen down a hill during the storm and severely injured her leg. This was a blessing for their circumstances because then they had plenty of meat. The family was able to get to town after the military opened the roads.

Jeanne started High School in Oshkosh, Nebraska, where she lived with her sister, June, while they attended school together. Her parents purchased a house in a neighboring town, Lewellen, where she attended and graduated from Lewellen Rural High School. In her junior year, she started working in Reese’s grocery store in Lewellen. Jeanne received a stipend from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she attended classes for two years, majoring in education.

In August 1957, Jeanne married the love of her life, Warren (Budge) Clary. After the wedding, Jeanne taught at a country school near Lincoln, and Warren finished his B.S. in Agriculture at the University of Nebraska. They moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, and while there, they welcomed their first child, David, in the Spring of 1959. Two years later, they lived in Flagstaff, AZ, when Jeanne gave birth to the couple’s second son, Douglas.

Early on, Jeanne stayed at home with the boys. Raising two boys, an infant and a toddler, was a full-time job. Jeanne also learned to embroider, crochet, and knit during that time.

The family then moved to Fort Collins, CO, so Warren could work on a PhD at Colorado State University. In the early winter of 1967, Jeanne finally got what she wanted; she gave birth to a baby girl, Diane.

 As the children started growing up and helping around the house, Jeanne returned to school to get her Bachelor’s in Business from Northern Arizona University (with Honors). Jeanne was a successful accountant who loved working with numbers and having her own career. After passing the CPA exam, she became a partner in the CPA firm of Litzler, Gardner, Lawrence, and Clary. 

 During their years at Flagstaff, Jeanne and Warren traveled extensively and hunted. Jeanne often accompanied Warren on hunts for deer, elk, antelope, and turkey. Jeanne bagged her own turkey and antelope. Hiking was also on the agenda. The Clary family took a three-day backpacking trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with the Lawrence family.

Warren needed to transfer for his job, so the family purchased a home in Pineville, Louisiana. The children got along in school, and the oldest, David, attended Louisiana State University. Jeanne, however, wasn’t a big fan of living in Louisiana and was excited to move back West when an opportunity to transfer came two years later. So, the family loaded everything in a U-Haul and moved to Utah. David stayed behind to attend LSU.

 Jeanne was accepted by the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU while they lived in Utah. She enjoyed law school and finished with honors three years later, in 1983. Not long after Jeanne graduated, Warren was transferred to work in Boise, Idaho. Soon thereafter, she passed the Idaho State Bar exam. Jeanne was a successful lawyer who took pride in her work and was very knowledgeable in Tax Law.

Jeanne chose to retire in 1994. She and Warren moved to a new home in nearby Meridian, ID, for six years and then to Reno, NV, in 2011 to be closer to family members. Jeanne enjoyed sewing and produced intricately designed quilts in the early years after retirement. 

Jeanne is survived by her spouse, Warren, her three children, and their spouses (David and Pam, Doug and David, and Diane and Torben). Her six grandchildren also survive Jeanne: Alexander Powell Clary, Katelyn Dorothy O’Loughlin, Sorcha Ann Brown, Brynna Vigée Rubin, Marisa Naomi Dennis, and Scott Bridger Clary. Great-grandchildren include Maevry Lue Brown, Remi Warren Brown, Henry Alexander Clary, and Jane Josephine Clary. Her parents, sister (June), and brother (Ray) preceded her in death. 

Jeanne showed her love of animals through the rescued dogs and the viewing of wild horses when they came into our neighborhood to eat fresh green grass.

Jeanne has attended the United Methodist Church if one was available in the seven states where she resided. She was one of a small group that founded the Trinity Heights United Methodist Church in Flagstaff, Arizona.