Lela Mae (Carney) Tarter just celebrated her 99th birthday in Springfield, Missouri. Lela was the daughter of Orville & Essie (Eby-Yocum) Carney, born on April 6, 1925 in Bristow, Oklahoma. She grew up in the Galena area & married Charles “Chuck” Tarter, March 23, 1946 … living and working mostly in Missouri (some in California), then relocating back to the Springfield, Hurley & Galena areas.
Lela worked in the canning factory, operated a restaurant in Hurley, worked at the school and the grocery store in Galena.
She retired in 1994 and moved back to Springfield. She moved to the Jenny Lind apartments in 2008 and continued to live and take care of herself until peacefully passing on April 8, 2024.
Lela is survived by four children (spouses): Clayton & Gloria Tarter, Bud & Karen Tarter, Chris & Debbie Tarter, and Tina (Tarter) & Mark Solari.
She is preceded in death by her husband Chuck Tarter (of 48 years); three children: Charlotte (Tarter) Thurman, Hershell Lee Hicks & Martha Hicks; her parents, her brother James Carney & her sister Louise (Carney) Davis.
Lela has 11 grandchildren: Mike Hicks, Rene’ (Hicks) Mann, Jason Tarter, Jamie (Tarter) Weeces, Tyler Tarter, David Tarter, Kimberly (Tarter) Jett, Sean Thurman, Maegan (Thurman) Kupp, Andrew Tarter and Alicia (Tarter) Scroggins; twenty-two (22) great grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren and many many nieces, nephews and cousins…all who cared and loved her.
Visitation and services were held on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Greenlawn Funeral Home South, 441 W Battlefield in Springfield, followed by the burial in the Eisenhour Cemetery, 14480 US 160, Spokane, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Eisenhour Cemetery, Rita Stephens Treasurer, 96 Carol Lane, Galena, Missouri 65656-8610.