Willis Edwin Neal

On September 6, 2021, we said goodbye to Willis E. Neal. He also went by the name of Willie, but we only knew him as Dad. He was born on February 10, 1928, in Severance, Kansas. He was 93 years old. He died in hospice care in Castle Rock, Colorado from congestive heart disease.

He was a strong, loving, hardworking, tenderhearted man who set the bar high for himself. He had a moral compass that was unshakeable, an unwavering work ethic and an enthusiastic sense of humor. His fun-loving side was evident by the gleam in his eye when he was up to no good and his good-natured smile.

As teenagers, he would startle our friends when he would come into a room and bellow, “What’s going on in here?” He looked stern and suspicious as he delivered the line. It would make you feel guilty whether there was something to feel guilty about or not. He loved to do that.

One Halloween he covered himself in a sheet and waited in the bushes by the house for unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. It was so successful that he didn’t do it again. He scared half the neighborhood.

We also remember his good-natured teasing. When asking Dad what size slice of pie or cake he wanted, he would invariably indicate he wanted whatever remained after we cut a slice for ourselves. His eyes would twinkle, and he would have a big smile on his face because he knew he was asking for a slice that equaled the remainder of the dessert. Dad loved desserts and he enjoyed making homemade ice cream. There are so many memories of being tricked into manning the crank of the old ice cream maker on a hot summer day. It was so worth it.

Dad was a veteran and enormously proud to have served in the Air Force in the early 1950’s. He enjoyed his years of service and often said those were such important years for him. He served with two brothers which was not common at that time and spent the majority of his service in Europe. He took a lot of photographs during that time. He had them made into slides and as a family, he would project them on a big screen that he set up in the living room. He would tell stories about the places he saw and the events going on and he answered questions about life in the military. He loved to tell those stories and did so the rest of his life.

He spent the majority of his career in construction as a home builder. Homeowners were blessed if they were the recipients of his work. He insisted on quality in everything he did. He made a reputation for himself in Colorado as a Master Carpenter. He built custom homes in all shapes and sizes, complicated staircases that defied physics (or at least they looked like that) and custom cabinetry that met the style and quality requirements of the most discerning homeowner. Over the years we were fortunate to live in two houses that he built. One of the houses that he built in Castle Rock, Colorado was the family home for 48 years.

Dad did not have formal hobbies unless you count playing solitaire at the kitchen table. He preferred to spend his down time fixing things around the house and doing remodeling work or building things. When asked how he learned to fix whatever it was that was lying in pieces on the floor at the time, he said he takes things apart to learn how they work and then intuitively fixes the problem as he puts it back together. No wonder I didn’t learn how to fix anything.

Dad was born in Severance Kansas to Myrtle and William Neal. He became a widower in 2014 with the passing of our mom, Betty L Neal. He had ten siblings. He is survived by his youngest sibling, Frances (Neal) Muller. He is also survived by his children, Cheree (Neal) Gaither, Deborah (Neal) Polk and Mark Neal. He has seven grandchildren, Shonna Gibreal, Brandon Gaither, Kensey Simms, Matthew Polk, Kelly (Neal) Ott, Jamie Neal, and Tracy Neal. And nine great grandchildren, Mason Gibreal, Bryson Gibreal, Dawson Gibreal, Kaylee Gibreal, Madison Polk, Jovie Polk, Wyatt Gaither, Logan Ott and Oliver Porter.

A family gathering was held at his home on September 11, 2021, to honor the man we all miss. We are planning a private memorial service prior to the interment of his ashes at the St. Joseph Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. The date has not been determined.

He was a family man in the purest form, and we were blessed to be his family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OlingerAndrews.com for the NEAL family.