Lela Mae (Carney) Tarter

April 6, 1925 to April 8, 2024

Lela Mae (Carney) Tarter just celebrated her 99th birthday in Springfield, MO. Lela was the daughter of Orville & Essie (Eby-Yocum) Carney, born on April 6th, 1925 in Bristow, Oklahoma.  Lela was saved and baptized in 1941. She grew up in the Galena area & married Charles “Chuck” Tarter, March 23rd, 1946 … living and working mostly in Missouri (some in California), then relocating back to the Springfield, Hurley & Galena areas.  Most knew Lela from the Stone County area.

Lela worked in the canning factory, operated a restaurant in Hurley, worked at the school and the grocery store in Galena.  When she wasn’t working a job, she was doing her hardest job of all…being a Mom and a housewife…making sure the house was clean, food to eat & always loved and provided for.  Lela was a great cook and everyone loved her fried peach pies.  She gardened a lot & was very crafty – she won ribbons at the county fair for canning & crocheting.  She was an avid St Louis Cardinals baseball fan too.

She retired in 1994 & 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 8th, 2024.  Everyone in the apartment complex knew and loved her and was a friend. They worked jigsaw puzzles, played Yahtzee, but her favorite was playing Bingo…lots of Bingo.

Lela was best known as Mom, Granny, Aunt, Cousin and Friend…but did not like Mrs. Tarter…she would correct “everyone” to say my name is Lela!!  She enjoyed sightseeing, going to see covered bridges, old barns, flea markets and just a good ole road trip.  She loved spending time with her kids and being Granny to all the grands, greats and great greats … she always had a smile and a hug for us all.

She was tough and fortunately very healthy for the majority of her life.  She could swing a pick like nobody’s business.  She wasn’t afraid to show up at your house and get her hands dirty, pick weeds and then continue to tell us how we needed to clean up our flower beds…with us adding a reply back with “Yes, Mom”.

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 and Two Great Great Grandchildren. And many many nieces, nephews and cousins…all who cared and loved her.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Greenlawn Funeral Home South, 441 W Battlefield, Springfield. Services will start at 12:00 pm with burial to follow in the Eisenhour Cemetery, 14480 US 160, Spokane, MO.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Eisenhour Cemetery, Rita Stephens Treasurer, 96 Carol Lane, Galena, MO  65656-8610.