Reva Vietta Chaney was born November 5, 1941, to James Andrew Woodworth and Mamie Bland Woodworth and passed away April 20, 2025. She is preceded in death by both parents; her sisters, Erma Taylor and Rose Woodworth; brother, Ira Woodworth; along with her husband, Roy E. Chaney; two step-sons, Danny Chaney and Dennis Chaney; and three deceased granddaughters, Michelle Dale, Richelle Dale, and Auburn Chaney.
She is survived by three daughters, Vicki Trask (husband Mark) of Owasso, OK, Marsha Dale of Mountain View, MO, and Connie Kennedy (husband Jim) of Pontotoc, MS; and step-son, Dale Chaney of Birch Tree, MO. Her grandchildren include Christina Emmons, Tiffany Emmons, Melanie Trask, Justin Dale, Ashley Kelly, Courtney Day, Nicholas Bradford, Brandy Bradford, Brian Chaney, Sarah Chaney, Ray Chaney, Davey Chaney, Dane Chaney, and Angeline Chaney. She also leaves 25 great-grandchildren.
She made a profession of faith in Jesus and was a member of Little Zion Baptist Church, Trask, Missouri. She loved the Lord and trusted in His guidance many times throughout her life. She gave Him glory for bringing her through the difficult times in her life.
She married Jack Story when she was fifteen, and had her three girls by age eighteen. Her girls always teased that they all grew up together. She married Edward Chaney in 1972, gaining three step-sons.
She loved people, animals, and life. She would take care of hurt birds, squirrels, or any animal that was suffering. She even loved Gus, her rogue goose who would chase and bite at any moment, and a rooster she’d have to carry a stick to keep him from attacking. She couldn’t bring herself to get rid of them. She would always say how sorry she felt for a dead deer alongside the highway, and we’d say how we felt worse for the person who hit it.
Her love of nursing was evident from a young age. She shared that her mother had cut her leg while chopping wood. She knew to hold pressure and dressed her mom’s leg because her siblings couldn’t handle the situation. Although she was only nine when her mother died, somehow she knew how to be a wonderful mom.
Mom worked as a nurse aide while completing her GED and then graduated from LPN school in 1978. Most of her forty-five years of nursing were at the Birch Tree nursing home. People always commented on how she loved and cared for the residents. She was born with that innate sense to help others.
She loved to travel. Some of her favorite trips were with Ed out west. After Edward’s passing in 2020, she would go on trips with her three daughters to the beach or the mountains. She would tolerate the beach trips because she knew that her girls loved the beach. Being together was what was important.
She touched many lives and was such an example of Christ’s love. To say she will be greatly missed doesn’t begin to express our loss. The world was brighter with her in it.
Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at Yarber Mortuary, Mountain View, Missouri, with Tommy Boyd officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 2-3:00 p.m., also at the funeral home. Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Birch Tree, Missouri. Condolences may be expressed at www.yarbermortuary.com.
