Neil Carroll, Jr. left this world after a courageous battle with cancer on June 20, 2018. Neil was born on May 08, 1943 in Winnfield, Louisiana to Neil and Artie Carroll. He had two siblings, a sister Bonnie and a brother Tommy, all preceding him in his passing.
Growing up in Louisiana, life was hard but it made him the man he was to become later in life. He learned that family comes first, how to work hard, to use what you have to make it work and to be a person of your word. Neil was an avid outdoorsman and spent his childhood hunting & fishing – not only for the sport but to survive. Even at a young age, he was known for being a marksman.
He graduated from Tioga High School in 1961. In 1965, he decided to leave his home and move to Houston, Texas. As he put it, “I moved here with everything that I owned in the back of a VW Bug”. On the day he arrived, he started his first day of work at Weingarten’s Grocery Store as a meat cutter. Through hard work and dedication, he was later promoted to Meat Market Manger. In 1966 after meeting on a blind date, Neil met the love of his life, Sherry. After this chance encounter, he knew that he had met the “right woman” because she was beautiful, down to earth and “could cook”. Over the years, Neil and Sherry had three children – Reni, Stephanie, and Dusty.
After a storied career in the grocery business, he made a career change in the mid 1980’s. As a person known for always being able to fix things no matter what it was, he decided to become a residential & commercial air conditioning and heating technician. He built a reputation for always being able to repair the toughest jobs and was the person to call whenever someone needed help - “Call Neil, he would know”. Over the next 30+ years, he worked for several companies around the Houston Area and for a time, owned his own Air Conditioning and Heating business.
Neil had many passions throughout his life – Membership at the West University Church of Christ, Member of the West University Masonic Lodge 1292, Volunteer with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, hunting, fishing, collecting, finding ingenious ways to fix things, but first and foremost was his family. He was fully committed to his wife, children, grandchildren and extended family. Throughout his life he loved them unconditionally with every part of his being – he guided, disciplined, protected, fought for and kept everyone laughing with his unique sense of humor. He will always be a Husband – Father – Friend – Hero – the True Essence of a Man.
Neil is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Sherry; daughter and son-in-law Reni and Corby Burns; daughter and son-in-law Stephanie and Billy Krueger; son and daughter-in-law Dusty and Assur Carroll. He is also survived by his precious grandchildren: Allie, Grace, Emiliann and Raegan Burns; Michaela and Liam Krueger; and Dylan, Miranda, and Ivanna Carroll – all of whom he loved dearly.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations can be made to one of the following organizations:
Texas Parks and Wildlife -- https://www.tpwd.org
Friends of Garner State Park -- www.friendsofgarner.org
West University Church of Christ – Foot Steps Program -- http://www.westuchurch.com/footsteps/
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