Billy "Shorty" McNeely, Jr.

Billy "Shorty" McNeely, Jr., age 84 of Childress and formerly of Tahoka, passed away on Wednesday, September 16, 2015.Funeral services will be at 2PM on Friday, September 18, 2015 at First United Methodist Church with C.W. Parker, Gentiva Hospice Chaplain, officiating. Graveside services will be on Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 10 AM in Tahoka Cemetery in Tahoka, TX under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home.Visitation will be from 6-8 PM on Thursday, September 17 at Johnson Funeral Home.Shorty was born on February 2, 1931 in Lynn County, Texas to J.T. and Ruby (Harston) McNeely. He married Jean Henderson on June 10, 1950 in Clovis, NM.Shorty was a hard worker, having worked over 20 years with A.T.S.F Railroad before moving to Childress in 1972. When they moved to Childress, he owned and operated the Sears Catalog Store for 13 years until his retirement in 1985.Shorty was very civic minded, and proudly had served as a Mason for over 50 years. He was a former member of the Plainview, Seagraves and Brownfield Masonic Lodges, and was a current member of the Childress Masonic Lodge #695 AF & AM. He was also a former Lions Club member in Plainview and Childress, and of the Order of the Eastern Star in Childress. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church and of the Fellowship Sunday School class.He was preceded in death by his parents, a son Thomas Gary McNeely, and brothers Leslie Arnold McNeely and Richard McNeely.Survivors include his wife, Jean of Childress; an adopted daughter, Nancy Smith of Ruidoso, NM; two brothers, Jerry Wayne McNeely of New Home, TX and W.H. McNeely of Odessa, TX; sister-in-law, JoAnn Chapman of Lubbock; special nephew, Thame Chapman of Lubbock; nieces, Debbie Chapman of Austin and Claudia Webb of Plainview; and two God-Children, Cobey Shaver of Lubbock and Krisie Shaver of Houston.In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to a charity of your choice in Shorty's memory.