Jon David McNeil

Jon David McNeil passed away from this life on Monday, 4/01/24, in Colorado Springs from a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. David was born in Durango, CO on September 10th 1944 to Ina Larson McNeil and Don Carlos McNeil. He spent his early childhood living in Mesa Verde National Park where his dad worked as the chief electrician. He attended a one-room school house there until he was in 5th grade, when the family moved into Mancos. He had two older brothers; Don Emmet and Lloyd Lee, both deceased.

He became an excellent drummer while in high school and was the drum major for the Mancos HS band under Lewis R. Lewis. After high school he attended Utah Trade Technical Institute in Provo, Utah, where he studied electronics, which became his field of work for most of his life (Ampex, TRW, Honeywell, Atmel). One of his side jobs was doing frequency readings for the TV and radio stations in Colorado. This would entail loading his test equipment into his pickup and driving around the state once every summer, in addition to a couple of trips to Denver and local readings every month. For a short time he worked as a radio DJ for KUTA in Blanding Utah. Before moving to Colorado Springs, he also worked as a deputy sheriff in Montezuma county and deputy marshall for the town of Mancos. He eventually retired from Mark VII in 2011.

He served 17 months as a building missionary in Auburn WA where he lived with the Jim and Carolyn Downey family and helped construct the Auburn church building.

He married Martha Gustafson of Mancos on June 3rd 1967. Their marriage was sealed in the Mesa, AZ temple on 9/4/69. Their family was all born and raised in Colorado Springs; Teresa Sophia, Gayle Marie, Sarah Louise, and Cory Anson.

David’s top priority was providing for his family. He was a man of many varied interests, devoting much of his time to the Denver Electric Vehicle Council, which he was a part of from the early ‘70s clear up to his last days, reporting on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb for the DEVC newsletter each year.

He also studied herbs and vitamins and was also helping people with health issues. If you had an ailment he would grab his books and try to figure out what combination of herbs to give you. He always said, “It can’t hurt, but it might do some good.” He was always the one to take charge and fix anything that was broken or not working. His sense of humor was unmatched and would always laugh the loudest at his own jokes even if no one else got the punch line.

He loved our dogs, especially “his” Annie. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

The Dash

By Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on his tombstone

From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of his birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time

That he spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved him

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.