Neva (Clark)Stiles – born July 6, 1903 in the home her father built, on the ‘Clark' farm in Honeycreek, Iowa. The winter following Neva's 8th birthday, her mother died from Typhoid (contracted from a neighbor). Her father was very protective of her, as was her older brother. Her mother's sister took it upon herself to have a role in raising Neva. She went to elementary school in what she called the ‘school bus'. It was a horse drawn flat-bed wagon with a seating area enclosed for the children. Her only brother, George, drove the wagon.

A tornado came through the farm community in when Neva was about 10 years old. At the home of an Aunt and Uncle, a very large tree fell on the home and two young (girl) cousins were killed inside the home. This sad event stayed with Neva her entire life. They are buried very near where Neva is buried.

Neva reminisced with us about the tragedy of the Titanic, where Mr. Emil Brandeis lost his life. Mr. Brandies managed the family's Brandeis Department Store in Omaha, Nebraska.

She attended Beebeetown High School and Iowa State Teachers College. She taught 3rd grade for a few years, then moved to Chicago to pursue a degree in music. She met Roy, her future husband, in Chicago at the YMCA (it was the great depression, and she frequented their cafeteria). During World War II, she worked for the Department of the Army, in Washington DC as a medical statistician.

Knowing her father would not consider ‘any man good enough' for his daughter, while very fond of her sweetheart Roy, she chose to wait to marry until 5 years after her father's death. This marriage lasted only 17 years, concluding with her husband's death in 1966. They had no children.
Neva had no children, never owned a home, never drove a car, never flew in a plane. But her life was rich from a deep Christian faith and a love of music and children.

One vivid memory she shared with us was an evening of riots in Washington DC after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King 4/4/1968. Leaving work, she was unable to hail a cab that night. Finally a car with two black men stopped, and a girl she knew from the office encouraged her to get in, to take Neva home. As they drove through the rioting areas, they had Neva lay down in the floorboards of the back seat and covered her with rain coats so she wouldn't be seen. She believed this saved her life.

Neva remembered the early days of flight, the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic, the great depression, World War II, and landing a man on the moon! Neva was a very proper lady, always well dressed, often with hat and gloves. During her married life, one of her favorite pastimes was to go to the Opera.

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