Longtime weather forecaster Don McNeely dies

Editor's note: The story has been edited to reflect the correct master's degree attained at Northwestern University.

Cape Girardeau's "Mr. KFVS," Don McNeely, died Sunday at age 88, according to relatives and several former colleagues at the television station.

McNeely, who worked for decades as KFVS-TV's weather forecaster, retired in 1993, exactly 50 years after his broadcasting debut.

Donna McNeely Burke, his daughter, announced in a Facebook post he died at 12:45 a.m. Sunday.

"According to his wishes, Dad's body will be cremated," she wrote. "Funeral and burial services will be private. A celebration of his life will be planned at a later date. Many people knew our dad as a TV personality, but we knew him as the most loving and caring father in the world. We were incredibly blessed."

Don McNeely is shown giving a weather forecast on KFVS-TV in the early days of television in Cape Girardeau. (Submitted photo/KFVS-TV)

A Cape Girardeau native and a graduate from Cape Girardeau Central High School, McNeely was introduced to broadcasting while a teenager but was drafted in 1945 to serve in World War II.

After the war, McNeely earned his bachelor's degree from Southeast Missouri State University. He later earned master's degree in speech from Northwestern University and became chief weather forecaster at KFVS.

Former colleagues of McNeely expressed their appreciation and gratitude for his years of work upon hearing the news of his death.

"I was fortunate to work with Don," KFVS journalist Mary-Ann Maloney wrote Sunday in a post on Facebook. "He was the consummate professional and gentleman. Don truly was KFVS, and to this day is a legend within our building and beyond."

Local weather buff Bob Clubbs of the popular local website clubbsmedia.com recalled McNeely's on-air style.

"I was still fairly young when he was on television, but one of the things I remember is just how much trust people had in him," Clubbs said. "He was very calming and very matter-of-fact. He wasn't one to freak out, and I think people responded well to that -- his demeanor."

Clubbs said even in severe weather, his presence was calming.

"I remember the "Don said it would" umbrellas," Clubbs said. "People still say that today, even though he hasn't been on TV for years. People just gravitated toward his personality. His word was definitely golden in the whole area."

McNeely also formed a band and played music extensively for many years. He acted in community theater productions, including his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the Southeast Missouri State University's production of "1776."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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