Florine Lucille (Fairchild) Byers Cleaver's Obituary
Florine Lucille (Fairchild) Byers Cleaver, age 96, of Chanute, Kansas, passed away Sunday, July 2, 2017. Florine was born on December 19, 1920 to John Williams and Myrl (Hurst) Fairchild in Neodesha, KS. She moved to Chanute, KS with her mother and her siblings after her father’s death in 1932.
She attended North Lawn School and Central School in Neodesha, KS. She also attended Royster Junior High School and Chanute Senior High School and was a graduate of Clark’s Business College in Topeka, KS.
She married Floyd Byers in Erie, KS in 1937. They had 3 children: Peggy, Robert and Gloria. They raised their children together and were later divorced. Floyd preceded her in death.
Florine was a member of Otterbein Methodist Church and served as the first chairperson for the first Ice Cream Social that was held to help raise money to build the church at the Rose Acres land at 7th and Kansas. After the church was built, she was Memorial chairperson and Sunday School Secretary for several years. Her hobbies were sewing, crocheting, genealogy, visiting with family and friends and drinking coffee in the afternoons at Taco John’s and McDonald’s.
Florine was employed at Burlington Overall Factory for 16 years. She worked at Byers Rock Crusher as a telephone operator and truck dispatcher and for the City of Chanute drive-in utility office for several years. Florine went on to work for the State of Kansas at Social and Rehabilitation Services for 16 years as a receptionist and switchboard operator and clerk typist. She retired in 1985, but in 1987 she went to work part-time as a desk clerk/switchboard operator for Skyline Motel and retired from there in 1998. Florine was a volunteer at Neosho Memorial Hospital Snack Shop for 25 years and also worked at JC Penney’s and Boone Real Estate.
Florine married Willard Verl Cleaver on November 16, 1974. They loved to travel and traveled many miles going on bus tours. They traveled from coast to coast and Florida to Canada and flew to Hawaii and Caribbean Islands.
Florine is survived by:
Children:
Peggy Ann VanWinkle and husband Oscar of Neosho, MO
Robert Gene Byers and wife Linda of Overland Park, KS
Step Son:
Larry Cleaver
6 Grandchildren:
13 Great Grandchildren:
4 Great-Great Grandchildren
Florine was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Gloria Adkins; granddaughter, Brenda VanWinkle Brown; siblings, Lawrence, Carol, Marvin, Beulah, Wilma and Lois.
A visitation will be on Friday, July 7, 2017 from 1-2 p.m. at Otterbein Methodist Church in Chanute, KS. A funeral service will be after the visitation at 2:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Neosho County Memorial Park Cemetery in Chanute, KS. Online condolences may be left at: www.countrysidefh.com. Memorials have been suggested to Otterbein United Methodist Church or SONshine Day Care with Zion Lutheran Church and may be left with or mailed to the funeral home. Services have been entrusted to: Countryside Funeral Home 101 N. Highland, Chanute, KS 66720.
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