Mrs. Bonnie Jo Haye Neese

West Monroe – “Her children rise up and call her blessed…”  Proverbs 31:28a.  That is the most important thing you will read in this obituary of our mother.

Memorial services for Mrs. Bonnie Jo Haye Neese, 80, of West Monroe, LA will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday September 3, 2021 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe. Visitation will be held from 12:30 PM until time of the service. Interment will take place at the Rocky Branch Cemetery in Union Parish under the direction of Kilpatrick’s Funeral Home of West Monroe.  Bro. Terry Mims will officiate.

Mrs. Neese was born on May 1, 1941 in Union Parish, Louisiana, and passed from this life to eternal life with Christ at her home on September 1, 2021.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Elton and Ella Mae Haye.  Also preceding her to glory was her sister, Peggy Tousinau, and the great and only true love of her life, her husband, Harry Neese.  And also preceding her was her beloved little great-great nephew who brought her so much joy, Rayven Wilson, and her nephew, Rev. Woodson McGuffee.

Left here to remember her and to love her are her two children:  myself, Kim Neese, and my brother, Joey Neese.  She is also survived by her two brothers, John Ed Haye and Nickey Haye, her brother-in-law, Don Neese and wife Sandra of San Marcos, Texas, and dear cousins who were like siblings to her.

Others who survive her are her nieces and nephews that she loved so very much: Deborah McGuffee, Venessa Chapman, Jerry Haye, Chris Haye, Greg Haye, Nicole Satterwhite, Carmen O’Dea, and Robbie Clem.  And of course, the great-nieces and great nephews, too.  She loved them all.

Mrs. Neese was a beautician by trade, specializing in making women’s hair lovely, and she was a Sunday School teacher by calling.  She studied the Bible long and hard each week to prepare her lessons.  And in her beauty shop, she went through enough hair spray in the 1970’s to keep the makers of Aqua Net in business.

Her hobbies included taking care of plants and flowers.  She loved it.  Her other fun go-to was the Hallmark Channel.  She also was a hard-working Founding Board member of D’Arbonne Woods Charter School.

Mrs. Neese spent her younger years growing up in a log dog-trot house built by her grandfather.  She talked about that house for decades and when our family finally found pictures of it just a short time ago, she was thrilled.

Mrs.  Neese was an All-State basketball player at Farmerville High School in the late 1950’s.  Her picture hung in the foyer of the high school until it burned. She once gave up getting a chance to meet Elvis Presley just to play a basketball game and that is dedication as she loved Elvis more than any man…that is until she met our father and discovered real and true love. For 58 years, the love between our mother and father was incredible.  They were the epitome of teenage lovebirds – literally.

After their marriage, in the early days, she worked for the Union Oil Cottonseed Mill in West Monroe.  She kept their books.  She was and always has been a sharp cookie when it comes to math.  She was so proud of that job.  She used those math skills later when she worked for the credit union of the Angus Chemical plant in Sterlington.

Mrs. Neese was a strong and devout Christian woman.  She was kind, full of grace, and beautiful.  But most of all – she was a godly wife and mother.

My brother and I would like to thank all the friends, close family, Rocky Branch Church members, workers from Serenity Care, and Passages Hospice.

Pall bearers will be Chris Haye, Chris Satterwhite, Christopher Satterwhite, Robbie Wilson, Tony Robian, and Kris Finkbeiner.

Due to the climate of caution mask and social distancing will be practiced at the visitation and funeral service.

To those can’t attend, live streaming will be available at the time of service.

“Her children rise up and call her blessed…”.  Today, Mrs. Neese’s children, my brother and I, proudly rise up and call our mother blessed.