Obituary for Neal Kelley Neal Kelley, 77, of Grand Island passed away on July 4, 2018 at his home. Visitation will be on Friday, July 6, 2018 from 5 to 7 at All Faiths Funeral Home. Services will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday at All Faiths Funeral Home.
Dan Naranjo will officiate. Military honors will be rendered by the United Veterans Honor Guard and the U. S. Army Honor Guard. Burial will take place at Inman Cemetery.
Neal was born on October 3, 1940, son of James and Marjorie (Parks) Kelley. Neal grew up in rural Holt County where he helped his father train racehorses well into his adult life. He spent every summer at the race track with his folks.
This is where he met his lifelong friend Doc. He attended Willow Lake Country school and graduated from Inman High School in 1958; recently attending his 50th high school reunion. Neal attended Norfolk Junior College where he played baseball, was an avid boxer.
Post-graduation, Neal enlisted in the Marines on September 23, 1960. He often talked about being in the Marines during the Cuban Bay of Pigs. “We were ready to go!
” was always part of the story. Neal was proud and honored to serve his country. Honorably discharged on February 1, 1963, Neal remained a Marine to the end.
Neal was employed as a network technician for what was originally the Northwestern Bell telephone company for 37 years; often being one of “those guys” climbing poles in the Nebraska winters to fix phone lines. Neal was proud of serving as Union President of the Communication Workers of America, Local 7401. As Union President and part of the collective bargaining team, Neal was proud to represent his fellow union members and spoke of it often.
Neal married Cheryl Bridge in May 19,1965. To this union were born their son Shane and daughter Jacqueline. The two later separated in 1981.
Neal was united in marriage to Dianne Oborny on November 16, 1983, with this union Neal gained another son, Alan, and daughter, Cindy. Neal loved to hunt and made camping and hunting trips a family event. He was a lifelong gun enthusiast; shooting competitively and traveling extensively to hunt elk and deer.
Neal was a mentor to many, including his six grandchildren in the finer art of marksmanship, horsemanship and life. Neal looked forward to the annual Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match in Montana, competing with and against his many friends for over 10 years. He was even later featured in the Fall issue of Outdoor Life Magazine for an article about the Quigley.
Neal was a great storyteller in line with the wealth of a life well lived. His grin, quick wit and sense of humor will be greatly missed by all. Celebrating Neal’s life and remaining to grieve his loss are his wife of 35 years, Dianne of Grand Island; children, Shane Kelley of Beloit, KS, Jacqueline (James) Bennett of Tampa, FL, Alan (Victoria) Oborny of Oakley, KS, and Cindy (Dave) Miesbach of Waverly, NE; cousins Don (Mary) Kelley of Lincoln, Ned (Linelle) Kelley of Inman, NE, Kay (Avery) Zediker of Sioux City, IA, and Ann (Bob) Davis of Inman, NE; grandchildren, Corwin and Audrey Bennett, Chelsea and Justin Oborny, Nick and Isaac Miesbach; Neal was preceded in death by his parents James and Marjorie Kelley, nephew Shawn Kelley, and niece Kami Sholes.
Memorials are suggested to the family to be designated at a later date. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Neal Kelley please visit our Sympathy Store. Previous Events Visitation , JUL 6.
05:00 PM – 07:00 PM All Faiths Funeral Home 2929 S Locust St Grand Island, NE, US, 68801 allfaiths@giallfaiths.com www. giallfaiths.com/ Service , JUL 7. 02:00 PM All Faiths Funeral Home 2929 S Locust St Grand Island, NE, US, 68801 allfaiths@giallfaiths.com www.
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