RICHMOND—Evelyn “Lyn” Staver Neira passed away peacefully on June 23, 2024.
She was born on February 5, 1931, to James Fred Staver and Helen Decker Staver.
She was preceded in death by her brother, James Fred Staver Jr.
She is survived by her adoring husband, Arthur “Art” R. Neira; her son, Bruce Neira (Connie Colloca); daughters, Sandy Goulding (David) and Betsy Fodor (Chuck); as well as five grandchildren, Jonathan, Kevin and Katherine Goulding and Al and Amanda Fodor.
Lyn was born in Clearfield, Pa., and grew up in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and northern Virginia. She graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor’s in journalism. While at GW, she was president of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and was crowned Cherry Tree Queen of 1955. It was at GW that she met the love of her life, Art, and they were happily married for almost 69 years.
Throughout her life, Lyn was a force to be reckoned with. She fought for numerous causes for which she strongly believed. She advocated for neighborhood schools in the 60s and was active in her children’s PTAs. She was most proud to have been instrumental in lobbying against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 70s. She was a proud alum of ADPi and went on to serve as province president guiding chapters in Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland. Lyn was also very active in Tri Club and Richmond Panhellenic. She was a staunch Republican Party member who worked on countless campaigns on the local, state and national levels.
Lyn and Art retired from Richmond to the Northern Neck (Mollusk) in 1997 where they lived “off the land” for over 21 years. Lyn remained active in various organizations including Historic Christ Church, Mary Ball Washington Museum & Library and Essex County Woman’s Club. Art and Lyn lived for a couple of years in Williamsburg but the pandemic brought them back to Richmond to be closer to their daughters.
The family would like to thank the entire staff at The Westmont at Short Pump for their patience and care for Lyn. In addition, her family is also grateful for the support and guidance of Ascend Hospice Care for making her transition as peaceful as possible.
Family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. July 2 at Bliley’s Central, 3801 Augusta Avenue Richmond, VA 23230. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. July 3 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 8787 River Road Richmond VA 23229. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made at the Alzheimer’s Association or American Heart Association.
