Mrs. Eileen Cohen McNeeley of Ravenswood, West Virginia, truly loved animals—cats, dogs, horses—and was active with the Jackson County Humane Society and many other animal welfare groups. A native of New York, Mrs. McNeeley passed away on May 23, 2017, at age 73, leaving thirteen cats and two horses at the time. She was preceded in death by her husband, Owen T. McNeeley, in 2005, at age 65.

Mr. McNeeley grew up in Oak Hill, WV. His parents moved to Ravenswood in 1960, where his mother worked as a teacher and guidance counselor at Ravenswood High School. Over the years, Owen developed a fondness for his parents’ home community of Ravenswood. After graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and Columbia Graduate School of Business, he served as president of two Connecticut international shipping companies. He met his wife, Eileen, while she was working in Brooklyn, New York.

After their 1986 wedding, the couple returned to Ravenswood, to establish Sandy Creek Farms in the Silverton area, opening a processing plant and Country Store in 1988. Owen and Eileen enjoyed traveling and were the owners/operators of Sandy Creek Farms for many years. After Owen retired in 2005, he especially enjoyed raising his horses.

Following Owen’s death, Mrs. McNeeley continued to care for his horses. She had a deep love for animals and often said that the horses were a source of comfort after his passing; she felt closest to her husband when she was with his horses. Mrs. McNeeley had many friends locally with whom she enjoyed socializing and painting and seeking to improve life for animals.

Through her estate, gifts were made to assist the Homeless Veterans Resource Center in Huntington, WV; to support her animals which survived her; and to establish charitable funds. One fund will support the “Jackson County Animal Welfare Fund” in Jackson County and will be administered by the Jackson County Community Foundation. The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation will administer the "Owen T. and Eileen McNeeley Veterinary Scholarship Fund" and the “McNeeley Fund for the Humane Society of Jackson County.”