Altha Jean Williams MeNeely was born June 27, 1931, in Borger, the daughter of the late Jessie Lee (Jack) Wil liams and Gladys Elizabeth McWilliams Williams.
Her parents divorced and she and her mother moved from Borger to Dallas when she was five years old, joining her grandmother.
She moved to Italy in 1940, with her mother and grandmother, where her mother taught school for many years.
She graduated from Italy High School in 1948. She attended Draughton’s Business College in Dallas after graduation. She married Roy Gene MeNeely August 7, 1950.
She worked in Dallas while Roy was serving in the Army in Korea. She was active in genealogy research and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Italy. She also worked for the Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado, the Italy News Herald, Ennis Business Forms, the Drawing Board (Pitney Bowes) and The Reporter Newspaper.
She published The Gladiator 1948 newsletter for almost 20 years, was involved in the Italy Ex-Students Association and wrote several books about the history of Italy, Italy churches, her family history, her and Roy’s journeys to Texas courthouses and “Letters From Korea, based on letters that Roy sent her during the 1950’s as he served in the U.S. Army as Staff Sergeant with the 25th Division Wolfhounds in the Korean War.
In the 70s and 80s, they took many vacations to Hawaii, Europe, Russia, Mexico, Belize, Cancun, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Roy; and two sons, Steven Scott and Donald Roy; her grandmother, Florence Altha McWilliams; step-sister, Nina Jo Groark and husband, Martin; step-father J.E. (Jaybird) Hoover; brothers-in-law, Archie McNeely and Bill McNeely, and sisters-in-law, Willie Pearl McNeely and Evelyn Joyce McNeely and Mary Joyce McNeely.
Survivors include: her daughter, Janet Coffman of Italy; granddaughter, Tracy McNeely and Lynn Hayes of Midlothian; step-granddaughters, Paula Coffman of Athens, Vicki Coffman of Italy and Michele Garner of Ennis; great-grandchildren, Dustin Dunlevy of McKinney, Jeana Graham of Waxahachie and Jennifer and husband, Matthew Parra of Italy; step-great-grandchildren, Frank Garner of Ennis, David Garner of Meridian, Mississippi and Joe Mack Pitts and wife, Alexandra of Arlington; and many great-great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and friends.
Memorials may be made to the Italy Ex-Students Association of Italy, Texas or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Visitation will be held Sunday, October 9, 2022 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Services will follow that day at 3:00pm at the Boze Mitchell McKibbin Funeral Home Chapel in Italy, Texas. Interment will follow at the Italy Cemetery.
