Larry Allen Neal, 73, of Lucas, Ohio passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, December 19th, 2024. He was born on May 8, 1951, in Charleston, West Virginia to Shelby and Freda Neal. He was a loving and devoted father to his daughters Lara and Lea and granddaughter Olive. He was a wonderful, loving fiancé to Darlene Leicy.
Larry was a graduate of Malabar High School in Mansfield, Ohio class of 1969. He was drafted into the United States Army and served as a Medic during the Vietnam War. Larry had a passion for racing his sprint cars at places such as Eldora Speedway and others on the East Coast with the dedicated support of his father and head mechanic Shelby (aka Skip) and the rest of his family and friends. He was proud of the fact that he once beat Jeff Gordon when Jeff was racing sprint cars before he went into racing NASCAR. He was an Electrician by trade, retiring after 30 plus years as a member of United Steel Workers Local 169 at AK Steel in Mansfield, Ohio. He worked a few jobs after retirement, first as a lineman for the City of Lucas, Ohio, then as a troubleshooter for Ideal Electric motors which took him all around the world.
Larry’s favorite place on earth during his last few years, though, was sitting on the back deck with Darlene and their dog Shadow enjoying looking at the beautiful backyard that he called his Shangri La. He was very much a homebody. Another joy of his was visiting southeast Ohio and watching his granddaughter Olive grow up.
Larry is survived by his fiancé and love of 24 years Darlene Leicy and her family, daughters Lara Neal (Nick Finocchioli), Lea Neal (Bryon Broka), granddaughter Olive Finocchioli, siblings Patti Benedict (Daniel), Billy Neal (Becki Southard), Cindi Taylor (Brent), and countless family and friends who will miss his contagious smile.
A celebration of life is planned for later in the Spring.
