Mother Dies Riding Out Moore Tornado With Son

Residents are allowed back to assess the damage, 48 hours after a massive tornado ravaged parts of Moore. Two dozen people lost their lives Monday, including the mother of two brave sons. One of the sons rode out the storm with his mom, and lived to tell their story.

This is a story of strength and resilience. On the east side of Interstate 35 a family picks up what's left of their home, while at the same time looking for any memories of a woman who lost her life in Mondays storm. 

Jacob Neely and his mother, 38-year-old Jeany Neely rode out that massive tornado inside a closet as it barreled toward their home.

"Me and my mom were just watching it on the news, and five minutes before it hit our house, the power cut out, so we didn't know, we thought it was going north and it made a strong cut east," said Jacob.

Within minutes their home was blown apart.

"I just heard windows breaking, and just a big flash of light. I kind of went deaf for a while. The last words I heard my mom say, was ‘Pray baby', and that was it," said Jacob.

Jacob says he was thrown about 20 yards and lost consciousness. He woke up with a gutter on him and immediately got up and began looking for his mother. He found her right below a car, several feet from him.

"I pulled her out. I tried to perform CPR, and after I couldn't revive her, I just yelled for help and started yelling that I loved her. It was the hardest moment of my life. It just seemed like a nightmare," said Jacob.

His brother Taylor was at Southmoore High when the storm passed.

"I lost it, you know. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't believe it until we finally came over here and she was lying over there, covered up," said Taylor.

"She was a great mother. I couldn't have had a better mother for my kids," said father, Michael Neely.

It's been a tough year for the Neely family. Jacob also lost a stepbrother in December, but still, just two days after his mother's untimely death, Jacob and his family are picking up the pieces and starting over.