Born in Jacksonville, Florida on December 22, 1946, she was the daughter of the late Grady Hardin Neeley and Marjorie Brooke Neeley. She was also preceded in death by her brother David Edward Neeley. She is survived by brother, Grady Harden, Jr., and wife Ruth McIntyre Neeley; nieces Elizabeth Neeley Mitchum, Melissa Neeley Spring and Ben Spring and great-nieces Neeley Anne Mitchum, Caroline Palmer Spring, step nieces and nephews Kellie Whetsel and Michael Oaks and children, Connor and Hannah, Gabe and Kate Whetsel and Taylor and Dempsey; Tobias Whetsel and Dylan Kaminer. She was blessed by being a part of a large extended family and has many surviving Neeley cousins.
Kathie moved to South Carolina from Florida when she was a junior in high school and was a graduate of A.C. Flora High School class of 1964 and graduated from the University of South Carolina with B.A and Masters Degrees. She taught school for one year at Hillcrest High School is Dalzell, SC. But spent most of her working career in the economic development sector in training and workforce development. She worked for the City of Columbia for four years as a job counselor in manpower development training. Kathie left the City to become the Director of Training and Development for Midlands Technical College. She developed, coordinated and implemented federal funded training programs for Richland, Lexington, Newberry and Fairfield counties. After one year at Midlands Technical College, she was offered and accepted a Project Manager position in the State Technical College Manpower Training and Development Office. Working there for four years, Kathie performed management and oversight responsibilities of the federal training funds coming into the state of South Carolina through technical education system.
In 1988 Kathie was offered a position in the Economic Development Division of the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education. This division was created as part of the state incentive package to attract new industry to South Carolina and train their perspective labor force. She worked closely with the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Employment Security System, community developers and government entities as well as the local staff at the respective technical colleges. Her responsibilities included the development, implementation and management of the workforce recruiting and job training projects (Special Schools) for companies locating a facility in South Carolina. She worked with many Fortune 100 and 500 companies, with the biggest and most challenging project of her career being the BMW assembly plant that located in Spartanburg, SC and their 22 supplier plants. Kathie’s career gave her the opportunity to travel all over the United States and Europe on project development actives. She enjoyed the travel, meeting new people and learning new things, but her greatest pleasure was in seeing the end results of all the work, new and better jobs available for South Carolinians. She retired in February 2005 after 22 years in the Division and 33 years of total service to the State of South Carolina.
Kathie received many honors and recognition including being listed in Who’s Who for upcoming professional women, Educator of the Year for the Technical Education Association and Woman of the Year of the American Business Women’s Association, Sandlapper Chapter. She was a member of Sigma Delta Pi, the South Carolina Developers Association, the South Carolina Defense Contractors Association and the Society of Plastics Engineers. She was also a member of Shandon United Methodist Church.
Kathie enjoyed being retired and loved her place on the Edisto River where she spent many happy times with family and friends. She also liked gardening, reading, painting, writing and decorating for Christmas but most of all she loved being with her family. Her mentally disabled brother David was the joy of her life and they spent many happy times together.
The family will receive visitors on Tuesday, January 7 from 6 until 8 p.m at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on Wednesday, January 8 at 11 a.m. at Dunbar Funeral Home in Columbia, S.C. on Devine Street and invite everyone to join them after the service at the Neeley Big House at Sojourner Campground at Holman’s Bridge, 38 Riverfront Lane, Blackville, SC 29817. The family requests that any memorial gifts be sent to Babcock Center in Columbia, SC.
Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
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