Posted on 03/02/2020
RADM William Charles Neel, USN (Ret.)
William Charles Neel--known professionally and personally as "Bill"-- passed away peacefully on February 26, 2020, surrounded by beloved family. He was a native of Rochester, New York, born October 13,1930 as the sixth child of Robert and Anna D. Neel. This birth date was auspicious as the US Navy celebrates October 13, as its founding day. Bill loved the Navy. He gave his life to Navy service, sacrificing everything for his true love--the Navy. Working for Evaluation Research Corporation and later Advance Inc., Bill continued resolving Navy issues as a contractor, but active duty remained his true calling. As a seminal member of Admiral Hyman Rickover's Nuclear Navy, Bill found his life partner while on assignment to the Idaho Naval prototype reactor, and his nuclear engineering work forged some of the Navy's toughest engineering assignments and commands. Naval service took him to Flag rank, Rear Admiral (RADM). He relished command and the sea--the operational environment. When threatened with the bureaucracy of Washington, and a future of tours through what was then known as the paper palace, he retired in 1984. Rear Admiral Neel was married to the former Colleen Stibal of Roberts, Idaho who preceded him in death. Bill is survived by Tom and Mark Neel, Tom's wife, Mary Ann Clark, Mark's wife, Lora, and his grandchildren, Daniel and Benjamin Neel. Relatives and friends may call at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Rd., Fairfax, VA on Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 3 to 6 p.m. Funeral service at Ft. Myer Old Post Chapel with interment in Arlington National Cemetery will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family recommends donations in Bill's name to the Wounded Warrior Project, The American Brain Foundation, and the Naval Institute.
www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com
Published in The Washington Post from Mar. 1 to Mar. 2, 2020