Neva V. Staats, 102

Long, long-time Belle Mead resident

1920 - 2022

Neva V. Staats

Neva V. Staats (nee Ernest), 102, died on March 2 in the Belle Mead home she had lived in since her marriage in 1939 to Peter A. Staats.

Married almost 71 years to a farmer, she knew hard work. She was an excellent cook and passed her love of cooking on to her children. In her younger years, she made wedding and special occasion cakes that were not only beautiful but delicious as well.

Neva also worked many years at the Belle Mead Post Office, beginning when it was just a part of the “Dixon General Store” prior to the building on Route 206 being built.

Always active in the community and helping others, she and her husband lived the Golden Rule. This included taking in a young person from a broken home and fostering her as their own. Never legally adopting her and with no financial gain, she was raised as a family member who grew up, got married, and had children of her own. Unfortunately, she died of leukemia at a young age.

She was active in the Harlingen Reformed Church, serving in the Ladies Aid Society on many committees, providing food for fund raisers especially the Sunday School spaghetti dinners. Neva and her husband were charter members of the Harlingen EMS serving as Friday night crew chiefs for almost 20 years. For many years, she organized and ran the annual chicken BBQ and oyster/ham dinner fund raisers.

Neva was the youngest of five sisters. She was predeceased by her parents, Nicholas Ernest and Carrie Sutton Ernest; her husband, Peter A. Staats; her sisters Florence Sutphin, Lucy Stovekin, Alice Stryker and Alberta Snyder; and her “fostered” daughter, June Drake.

Neva is survived by her five children: Cary Hunt, Bonnie Schmidtke, Neva Carver, C. Peter Staats, and Nancy Rude, as well as nine grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and four great, great grandchildren all to whom she was affectionately known by as Mom Mom.

Interment was at Harlingen Church Cemetery Belle Mead.

Memorial donations may be made to the Harlingen Church Memorial Fund or a charity of your choice.