Cleo Rae Herrera
July 30, 1937 — May 15, 2020
Cleo Rae Herrera
Cleo Herrera, 82, of Osseo, MN, passed away on May 15, 2020 from complication of Covid-19.
Cleo was born on July 30,1937 to Charles and Sarah Steele in Pine Ridge, SD. Cleo was raised in the northwest South Dakota/Nebraska area, ranging from Red Shirt, SD to Bridgeport, NE as her father was a ranch hand and the family moved frequently. Cleo married John Francis Garnier and gave birth to her first baby girl, JoAnn Garnier in Bridgeport, NE. Later she met Frank Herrera whom she married in Alliance, NE. Frank and Cleo made Alliance their home and had 6 more children before they divorced.
Cleo’s early career included working in manufacturing, as a seamstress, in cleaning businesses and other various jobs like harvesting fields. As a single mother, Cleo aspired to obtain a college degree and relocated to Chadron, NE in the early 1970’s. Cleo achieved her Master’s of Science degree in Psychology in the late 1970’s from Chadron State College. Cleo’s career was primarily in child protective services and she worked in Pine Ridge SD, Lincoln NE, Houston, TX and Minneapolis, Mn.
Throughout her life, Cleo was generous, caring and supportive of her family, co-workers and strangers. Cleo was a life-long teacher, always teaching others to be resilient and strong, to overcome hardship and obstacles and to stay committed to dreams and aspirations. She was a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist church and was a strong witness for her faith and beliefs in God. Cleo demonstrated immeasurable determination and perseverance in the hardships she overcame.
Cleo had many interests including traveling, reading, watching western movies, comedies, and visiting with her family. She once took a trip to Europe with JoAnn. Cleo was an avid reader and her topics ranged was from Native American History, Psychology, American History, The Bible, historical geography related to Bible stories, and Biographies. She enjoyed seeing pictures and videos of grandchildren and great-grandchildren and regularly spent time on Facebook. She was tickled to receive post cards her relatives sent from interesting places around the world.
Cleo is survived by her siblings Charles Steele of Gallup, NM and Sandra Steele of San Antonio, TX;
her children: Joe Herrera of Alliance NE, Ben and his wife Cynthia Herrera of Spring TX, Sherri Escobar of Houston, TX, Laura Rodriguez of Coon Rapids, MN, Frank and his wife Sue Herrera of Hanover, MD, Toni Herrera and her husband Steve Shively of Lincoln NE. Her Grandchildren: Joseph R Herrera, Chloe Herrera, Christopher Herrera, Alicia Herrera, Brittany and her husband Aaron McArthur, Robyn Welsh, Jessica Escobar, Chloe Escobar, Rene Escobar, Francesca Red Feather Folkestad and her husband Sam Folkestad, Jorge Rodriguez, Ulisses Rodriguez, Katarina Rodriguez, Celeste Sim and her partner Alec Wise, Keegan Grammer, and Scott Cross. Her Great-Grandchildren: Evan Welsh, Cortland and Caryn Herrera, Blake and Joshua Price, Annabelle and Thomas McArthur, Izabella Rodriguez and Rafael Antonio Folkestad, Clayton, Kayden, Alexandria Sim, Parker and Ashtyn Grammer, and Aria Cross. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Cleo was preceeded in death by her parents, Charles and Sarah Steele, her daughter JoAnn Garnier, and siblings: Faye YellowBird-Watson, Mary YellowBird Steele-Exendine, Marilyn Ruth YellowBird-Steele, Lynda Yellowbird-Steele, Myla Steele, Dennis YellowBird-Steele, Robert YellowBird-Steele and Richard YellowBird-Steele.
A virtual Memorial Service will be held for the surviving family members. Date and time to be determined.
An internment service will be conducted in RedShirt SD later in 2020 depending on travel impacts of Covid-19.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Cleo Rae Herrera, please visit our flower store.
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