Obituary: Neil Roger Lemos

Neil Roger Lemos passed into eternal life on March 11, 2025, just shy of his 91st birthday. Born April 3, 1934 to Harold and Irene Lemos of Edgewood, Neil was a descendant of the Portuguese pioneers that arrived in Siskiyou County in the late 1850s. Neil spent most of his life in his hometown of Edgewood. He grew up on the Lemos cattle ranch in Edgewood, which Interstate 5 splits at the Weed Rest Area. Riding horses herding cattle, irrigating the pastures with his father, chasing birds with a BB gun, Neil’s childhood was a lot of love and hard work. Tragedy struck the family when Neil was 4, as his baby brother Carl passed away at the age of 2. The family was blessed with three other children, first Dave, then Jim, and finally “Little Sis” Nancy.

As many ranching children were, Neil was a member of the 4-H, reaching the All Star honors. He raised a Grand Champion steer and later became a 4-H leader, bringing his children and others in the Edgewood/Weed area into fun and life lessons of 4-H.

Neil was a standout athlete at Weed High School, lettering in football and baseball. He was a member of the Weed High School Hall of Fame. He continued his athletic accomplishments as a member of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo baseball team in 1954 and 1955. Two years ago, he proudly threw out the first pitch at a Cal Poly baseball game on Veterans and First Responders Day. He used to ride with his coach to all the games. He was able to shake the hand of the current coach, who is the son of Neil’s coach, as well as the Mustangs’ star player, who is the grandson of Neil’s coach and currently playing for the Minnesota Twins. He was so happy when his granddaughter Christa told him she was following in his footsteps and attending Cal Poly, where she will graduate in June.

After he graduated with a degree in agricultural engineering, Neil was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was an expert marksman and worked with Nike missiles, helping keep our country safe in the volatile time between the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He was so proud of his granddaughter Heather, who is currently in the Army, stationed in Texas, where he also spent much of his Army career.

He was stationed in San Francisco when his Army buddy asked him to go on a blind date, as Neil had a car (the Gray Ghost). Neil agreed and that is when he met his wife Carol Jelenic. Carol had flown to San Francisco from Cleveland, Ohio, to visit her friend, who was dating Neil’s Army buddy. The rest is history and on September 5, 1959, they were married in Cleveland. Their song was “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

The couple first lived in Sacramento for two years, where daughters Cindy and Judi were born. They moved back to Edgewood in 1962 and never left Neil’s hometown after that. Wendy, Ken, and Michael were born and the family continued to prosper.

Neil was an insurance salesman for AAA for 37 years. He went to customers’ homes, driving his black VW bug with the AAA emblem emblazoned in gold on the hood. He had the gift of talking to anyone and truly was an advocate of “A stranger is a friend you are meeting for the first time.” Cal Poly and the Army led to friendships that lasted more than 60 years, and he was still close to his high school teammate Lave Mazzier as well.

Neil was a hunter. Whether deer on Mt. Shasta (and you know he would never tell you exactly where he and his brothers, sons, father, uncles, and close friends Larry Barbieri and Jack Haig were hunting!), elk in Oregon; or caribou in Alaska; Neil enjoyed being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

His sports career continued all the way past his 90th birthday, as Neil bowled and golfed at least weekly. Neil rolled several perfect 300 games in bowling, which is a game with all strikes. He passed that love of bowling onto his children and so many other youngsters in southern Siskiyou County. You would find him at Cedar Lanes in Weed every Saturday coaching the junior bowlers. Both of his sons and many others he coached have rolled multiple 300 games.

As for golf, you would see him out in his cart at the Weed Golf Course as often as he could make it. He played weekly during the warmer weather with the Mountaineers, a group of retired golf fanatics with whom he loved spending time on the courses in the north state.

Neil loved fishing, teaching his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to fish. Just sitting on a lakeshore or in a boat wetting a line was a good day for him, even if the fish were not biting. You should have seen his face when he landed an 8-pound bass!

Neil’s faith was strong and true. A member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Weed, Neil was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He was so proud when his son-in-law Bill Shelden became a deacon of the church.

But above all, Neil loved his family. Neil traveled to games and competitions as often as he could, even making it to his granddaughter’s college soccer game last fall when he was confined to a wheelchair. He was at the world championships in color guard at Dayton, Ohio, watching his granddaughter compete, although he didn’t know much about that sport. He watched his sons Ken and Michael win section championships and his daughter Judi play in the first section championship game in WHS girls’ sports history. He was in the stands at Weed High School watching daughters Cindy, Judi and Wendy playing volleyball and basketball, while Ken and Michael were football, basketball, and baseball lettermen. He watched grandsons playing football and a granddaughter cheerleading, and watched another granddaughter win a section championship in basketball from Judi’s couch on the high school television network. He attended elementary and high school musicals starring his granddaughters and plays starring his daughter Cindy. He proudly attended high school, college, and law school graduations. He was so proud of everything his children and grandchildren accomplished.

Neil joined his parents Harold and Irene Lemos of Edgewood; brothers Carl of Edgewood; Dave and sister-in-law Nancy Lemos of Weed, and Jim and sister-in-law Mary Lemos of Burns, Oregon, in eternal life.

Neil is survived by his wife of 65 years Carol Lemos of Edgewood; “Little Sis” Nancy Monk (Clark) of Pahrump, Nevada; children Cindy Lemos of Big Springs; Judi Slabaugh (Jeff) of Weed; Wendy Shelden (Bill) of Cocoa, Florida; Ken Lemos (Amber) of Edgewood; and Michael Lemos (Melissa) of Redding. His grandchildren are Alaina Bradley of Cocoa, Florida; Tori While of Marshfield, Wisconsin; Darrin Lemos of Fremont; Trevor Lemos of Edgewood; Heather Lemos of Fort Cavazos, Texas; Christa Lemos of Redding; and Corynn Lemos of Redding. He was blessed with four great-grandchildren: Jenna and Nora Bradley of Cocoa, Florida; and Will and Alice White of Marshfield, Wisconsin; and many nieces and nephews.

The rosary will be recited on Monday, March 31, 2025 at 10:30 AM at Holy Family Catholic Church in Weed. The Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 AM. Interment will be on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Yreka. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

sourced – Girdner Funeral Chapel

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