Merit O’Neal, 93, of Brandon, Florida passed on 8 August 2020. He was born on 18 October 1926 to the late Millard and Lucille O’Neal. He moved with his parents to Roswell, New Mexico in 1927 and returned to Brandon, Florida in 1932. Merit graduated from Brandon High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944. He worked for Railway Express Agency in Tampa, Marshman Enterprises in Pennsylvania in the automobile racing business, and the Sherwin-Williams Company in Tampa. He was a Colonel in the Tampa Police Department-Auxiliary Police Patrol. He retired as a Law Enforcement Deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Survivors are wife, Joanne B O’Neal married on 1 November 1952 in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania; children, Linda Lastinger (Paul), Curtis O’Neal, and Karen Paulus (Van); ten grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Douglas O’Neal in 2004. The family will hold a private memorial service to honor Merit. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pet Resource Center or Shriner’s Hospital Tampa. www.StowersFH.com
