Rebecca “Becky” Jean Staten Neldon, 72, of Glen Allan, Mississippi, passed away on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Born on October 12, 1952 in Greenville, Mississippi to parents Vera Staten Fisher and Buddy Raymond Staten, Becky was her father’s daughter: she enjoyed hunting and fishing in earlier years, and her love of wildlife and camping always remained. Ever her mother’s child, Becky enjoyed flowers, especially roses, and she always had a crafting or crochet project at hand. She graduated from Greenville High School in 1970 and went on to lead a fulfilling life of love, adventure, and community service. A deeply loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, aunt, friend, and community member, Becky was loved by so many and will be dearly missed and treasured always.
Becky knew from first sight that she would marry the love of her life, Thomas “Tommy” Neldon, and they shared 40 years of marriage and devotion. She instilled a love of holidays and cooking in all her children, preparing lavish holiday feasts alongside her daughter Vanessa. She also had a wanderlust for travel and connection with her family, embarking on long road trips, moves across the country, and visiting her children in new locales, including El Paso, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta. Beyond proud of her accomplished, well-traveled children, Becky’s fondness for new adventures with them never left, as evidenced by her enjoyment of football games and Mississippi State University sports that she shared weekly with Tommy and her son, Jack, as well as the many explorations she took on in Atlanta with her daughter, Melissa. Becky was ever courageous and a fierce protector of her family, a trait she shared with her son Waylan.
A lifelong nurturer, Becky invested great love in her grandsons, and she shared a deep love of animals and aviation with Ethan and an appreciation for dance with Elijah. She cherished pets, from golden retrievers to German shepherds, her husky, Zara, and many, many chickens.
Throughout her life, Becky was a dedicated community builder and collected friends while working at elementary schools in Kansas and Mississippi; as an AmeriCorps Vista member in the MS Delta; a cashier at the local Sunflower grocer in Rolling Fork; and on the MSU athletic games support team.
The family Becky leaves to cherish her memory are her husband, Thomas Neldon; her daughters, Melissa Roberts and Vanessa Neldon; her sons, Waylan Roberts and Jack Neldon; her grandsons, Elijah Roberts and Ethan Neldon; as well as her sister, Susan Staten Viars; mother, Vera Staten Fisher; and many nieces and nephews.She is preceded in death by siblings, Wayne Staten and Janet Staten Schiele, as well as her father, Buddy Raymond Staten.
In all things, Becky showed her love for her family, encouraged them to always grow, and loved them unconditionally; she joined her family for so many experiences and leaves them a legacy they will cherish always.
Visitation will be held at Welch Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 11 in Starkville, MS from 2:00 – 3:00 pm, with a celebration of life immediately following at 3:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, Rebecca’s family requests donations to be made to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
