Friends who served with Robert Neal in the U.S. Marine Corps said he displayed a military bearing that only Marines fully comprehend. His stand-up attitude, love of country and respect for others was reinforced by more than three decades as a Seattle police officer.
On the soft side, he collected Precious Moments figurines.
He carried jelly beans to pass around his doctor’s office, said his wife, Dee Anne Neal.
Her husband died Nov. 1 of a heart attack.
He was born in Des Moines to George and Ada Neal. As a child, he had a pet rat named Stuart Little and an owl named Petey.
High school didn’t hold his interest, so he dropped out and joined the military. He served in the Korean War and in the Army Reserve for 24 years.
Neal, 77, joined the Seattle Police Department in 1961, where he worked more than 33 years. He met his wife on a bus that they both rode to their jobs from Northgate.
They chatted, had lunch and fell in love.
She waited at home while he served in Desert Storm.
Robert Neal fought cancer in 1992 and had a leg amputated in 2000. He is survived by his wife of 16 years; daughters Kimberly and Stacy; their mother, Sharon; and grandsons Daniel and Ryan.
Stacy Neal said that when she started dating Bob Hull, her father eyed him up and down, like any protective father, but the teen hung in there.
“Like many high school kids, I had trouble taking advice from my father, and Bob stepped in and treated me like that mentor all young men need in their lives,” Hull said. “Tough but very supportive. I felt I spent more time at Bob’s house than my own during those years, and I always was treated like a welcome family member.”
Neal was always in the stands when Hull played basketball. He helped Hull fix his 1962 Ford Rambler when it was ready to give out.
“I am very fortunate to have three sons of my own,” Hull said. “There are a lot of things I would like to pass on to them, but some of them are the wonderful qualities I learned from Bob.”
Brian Feldman served with Neal in the police department. He described his friend as courageous, with a great sense of humor.
The Republican was a frequent contributor to newspaper “Letters to the Editor” sections.
He wrote about a proposed racecar track in Marysville: “As a point of interest, we are avid NASCAR fans, but do not think state money should be spent on a track anymore than a basketball stadium. There are much more important issues.”
On taxes: “It would seem to me that if you are not a property owner, you should not be able to vote to raise my property tax.”
He wrote about retrieving his lost wallet at the 112th Street Diner in Everett: “When I walked through the door, two angels dressed as waitresses met me at the door with my intact wallet. What sweethearts. And at my advanced age, I forgot to get their names, but I will not forget them.”
About the Snohomish High School Marine Corps Jr. ROTC: “I feel this program gives these kids a direction and the will to stick with it, which will serve them well in later years. The instructors should be commended for their job.”
And pets: “Who but your dog can you walk down the street and they agree with everything you say — right or wrong?“
His wife said Neal loved his German shepherd, named Delta Force.
He tucked love notes in the lunch he packed for his wife to take to work at the University of Washington. Dinner was on the table when she got home.
He cooked goulash and meatloaf, played rounds at Kenwanda Golf Course and preferred wearing a U.S. Marine Corps shirt and hat. He loved the Dallas Cowboys, poetry, and being on a military base at night when it was orderly and quiet.
Year after year, he visited the Evergreen State Fair, where he ate a piroshky and scones.
Robert Neal watched military documentaries and read Tom Clancy novels.
He smoked cigars and talked back to the television set.
“We fought about who loved each other more,” his wife said.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com
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