Lillian Fern (Neeley) Jett

January 2, 2024

Lillian Fern (Neeley) Jett was born August 13, 1935, in her family home in Quail, Texas, to Ziliba (Z.J.) Neeley and Opal B (Norman) Neeley.  Fern was the seventh of nine children.

Fern attended all of her elementary and high school grades at Quail Texas schools and graduated in May 1953.  While in high school Fern was a scholar and athlete. She was an editor on her senior yearbook,  high school choir, officer in FHA and FTA and voted ‘wittiest’ by her graduating classmates.  As a successful high school basketball player, Fern was then recruited to play for the Amarillo Dolls, an AAU semi-professional women’s league and played in one of the first of its kind national professional women’s’ basketball tournaments.

On September 4, 1953, in Wellington, Texas, she married Kenneth D. Jett also of Quail.   Fern and Kenneth had met prior to Kenneth’s departure to his military assignment during the Korean War and wrote love letters to each other regularly while he was gone.  When he returned to the states in 1953 they quickly became inseparable and wed soon after.

For 68 years Fern and Kenneth built a marriage and a family.  The couple started their marriage living in Hobbs, NM and then moving to communities in (chronological order) Denver City, TX, McCamey, TX; Twitty, TX; Lutie, TX; Middlewater, TX; Branson, CO; Wyola, MT; Wheatland, WY; Eagle, CO; Wild Horse, CO; Syracuse, KS; and Limon, CO.  Many of those communities they lived in various different homes – moving wherever the work took them.

While living in Denver City, Texas Fern gave birth to her first three children – Joni Luann, Ray Gene and Neva Faye.  After moving to Lutie, Texas she gave birth to her last child, Andy Wayne.

In the early years of having children at home Fern held down the role of mother and homemaker.  Out of necessity and having learned so much from her mother -she became an extraordinary cook and baker, a seamstress and quilter among all it took to care for her husband and children. In their time in Denver City she helped her husband manage an RV park. Once her husband became a full-time cowboy and the family began living on large cattle ranches she was in charge of feeding not only her family but much of the cowboy crews and working with other neighbors to support larger food preparations when neighbors would gather to help each other to work cattle throughout the year.  

 During those years on the ranches she would also spend time out on the ranch hand in hand with her husband and children – working cattle on horseback, fixing fence , helping cows calving and driving the hay truck in the hot July heat or the feed truck in the dead of winter.

After moving to Syracuse, KS and having only one child at home she went to work at the Hamilton County Hospital.  First as a cleaning crew member, then earned some certifications to work in the medical records office and finally ending her 25+ years of service as part of the business office at the hospital.  She and her husband spent much of their retirement while in Syracuse and she was active with her bowling league ( attending multiple national tournaments), active with her daughters in crafting and quilting and spent as much time with her growing family of grandchildren.

Speaking of grandchildren – this was her greatest point of pride.  She was so excited to welcome new babies into the family by making them all arrays of clothes, blankets and toys.  Nothing put a greater smile on her face than talking about her grandchildren.   Some she had the opportunity to see more than others but regardless she would stop anyone who would listen and she would show off pictures or tell stories of accomplishments of her growing list of grandchildren, great grandchildren and even great great grandchildren.   In the last hours of her life all she wanted to do was look at pictures of these grandchildren and talk about where they were and how they were doing.

In 2020, after Fern and Kenneth’s health began to fail, the family moved them to Limon, to be closer to family.   After Kenneth’s passing in 2021 Fern moved to Hugo Heritage Living until her passing on December 28, 2023 at The Medical Center of Aurora.  Fern passed only hours after entering into hospice care. God called her home to be with Kenneth and she was ready to be with him once again.

Fern, with grace and love, put life into her marriage. With joy and patience, she put life into her family.  With character and her smile Fern put life into whatever community she was a part of.  Every meal she prepared, every stich she sewed, every quilt piece she cut out, every hug and kiss she gave away she lived in service to others and into her role as child of God.  

Fern was preceded in death by her husband Kenneth and is survived by her four children and spouses, Joni and Alvin Kelly (Hugo), Gene and Kelly Jett (Scott City, Kansas), Neva and Stephen Heffler (Pueblo) and Andy Jett and Brad Ozias (Lenexa, Kansas); 11 grandchildren, Dana and Les McDaniel, Allen and Crystal Kelly, Sarah and Matthew Blanski, Amanda and Aaron Anderson, Jessica and Jarrod Caudle, Hank and Virginia Jett, Ronald Heffler and Amber, Kyle and Kayla Heffler, David and Emma Heffler, Katie and Tyler Rea and Samantha Jett and her fiancé Kurt Romig; 20 great grandchildren, Darius and Ashlee Johnson, Dasia McDaniel, Cyrus McDaniel, Trinity and Nosh Scroggs, Destiny Moses, Baylee Kelly, Rylee Kelly, Brentley Kelly, Lily Blanski, Jude Blanski, Ella Blanski, Timber Medina, Jacob Caudle, Alexis Jett, Elizabeth Jett, Levi Jett, Faith Heffler, Noah Pratt, Jaiden Heffler, and Katherine Heffler ,along with four great-great grandchildren, Koda Johnson, Addison Johnson, Vero Scroggs, and Raven Scroggs.

Services will be held at the Hugo United Methodist Church and she will be buried next to her husband at the Evergreen Cemetery in Hugo.

Viewing and Visitation:

Friday, January 5, 2024 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM   Brown Funeral Home -   312 5th St. Hugo, CO 80821  
 
Funeral Service Saturday, January 6, 2024  10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

United Methodist Church -  126 5th St. Hugo, CO 80821 

 
Burial Saturday, January 6, 2024 11:00 AM Evergreen Cemetery  12 CO Hwy 109 Hugo, CO 80821

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heritage Living Center PO Box 38, Hugo, CO 80821