Evelyn Rosemily Neel

Evelyn R. Neel (Schlee) passed away Friday Jan 3, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 97 years old. Evelyn Neel was born in Seskatchewan, Canada. She was the daughter of Herman G. Schlee(b. 1870 Lentzen Germany- d. 1951 Iowa) and Amelia ‘Millie’ Schlee (Eberhardt) b. 1891 Monona (Clayton County) Iowa- d. 1978 Iowa.

Evelyn’s parents were married December 22, 1908 in Elkport, Iowa. Evelyn’s father immigrated from Germany to America in 1883 and moved to Iowa where he was a farmer. The family live on their own farm in Lodomillo (Clayton County) Iowa in 1930. Evelyn was preceded in death by several siblings. They were: Herman Schlee, Walter Schlee, Fred Schlee, Carrie Amling(Lloyd), Henry Schlee, Edna Willy(Dutch), LeRoy Schlee (Violet) & Arthur Schlee (Barbara). She was also preceded in death by her husband James W. Neel.

Evelyn and her sister Edna were the only two children in the family that were born in Canada where their father moved to find work during difficult times on the farm. Evenly spent her childhood in Iowa. After completing the 10th grade, she went to work as a nanny at a nearby farm. During WWII, Evelyn moved to the San Francisco bay area with her closest friend, Opal Gramenz. Evelyn worked in the ship yards, where she wasn’t just a “Rosie the Riveter”. She supervised both men & women who were building and repairing the Naval ships.

After the war, Evelyn worked as a key punch operator in an office in San Francisco. While dancing to big band music at a nightclub in the east bay, she met her soon to be husband James ‘Jimmie’ Wilfred Neel. They were married April 29, 1950 in Richmond, CA. Jimmie Neel was a WWII Army veteran, who had been in combat in Bougainville, South Pacific Island. He was a native Californian and was attending Berkley College of Art at the time of his and Evelyn’s meeting.

James Wilfred Neel was a bronze star recipient for bravery during WWII. He was both a modern and commercial artist after he graduated from art school. He worked as a commercial artist and later as a machinest at Ampex in the N. Bay area, after Jimmie and Evelyn moved to Sunnyvale in 1955.

Evelyn and Jimmie had 3 children; Debra Dworkin (Russel), Dr. Pamela DeSalvo (Robert), and David Neel (Jacinta). They had two grandchildren; Brittany and Lindsay Dworkin, as well as two great grandchildren; Michael and Chloe.

Evelyn and Jimmie were active members of Hope Lutheran Church in Santa Clara, CA. Jimmie was always available to lend a hand for any repairs that the church needed to have done. In addition to her passion for volunteering, Evelyn was also involved in quilting, sewing, baking, crocheting, hosting bible study sessions, and progressive dinners. She even made the floral arrangements for the church each Sunday. Not only that, she did most of the floral arrangements for the brides that were married at their church. She could always be found washing communion glasses or helping with any number of the events at the church. Evelyn believed in always helping the less fortunate. She donated her time to the women’s shelter and at Sunnyview Manor senior home. She made crafts that she crocheted, as well as decorative bears that she donated to the children at the shelter.

Evelyn worked in floral design at Candles by Helene in Santa Clara, at several florist shops in Sunnyvale before embarking on a long career at Kaiser Medical Center. There, she was responsible for scheduling and maintaining appointment calendars for several doctors.

After retirement, Evelyn and Jimmie moved to Sedona, AZ for approximately 10 years, then off to Oahu, HI for 10 years before finally settling in Las Vegas, NV for the last 8 years. They resided at Heritage Springs assisted living and memory care. They had a bounty of loving caregivers and friends at the facility. They especially enjoyed the wonderful church they had there, named 320 ministry.

Jimmie and Evelyn were fortunate to travel the world and to see many faraway places. Some of their favorite places were: Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Bali and Figi.

Evelyn Neel was an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who loved her.