Charles Allen Neal

Charles “Allen” Neal passed away on Thursday, April 9, 2015, at the Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas, at the age of 93. He was born March 3, 1922, in Sheridan County, Parnell Township, Hoxie, Kansas, to Charles English and Nellie Anna (Shea) Neal. He attended Hoxie Grade School and graduated from Sheridan Community High School with the class of 1940. He attended The University of Kansas for two and a half years before enlisting in the Army. While in the Army, he served as a radio repairman with the 1146th and 252nd Combat Engineer Battalion in England, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany for 20 months. He installed, inspected, tested, and repaired communications equipment. While serving in Germany, Allen met his future bride, Ingrid. It took two long years for Allen to get her to the United States from her home in Berlin. When Ingrid arrived in Hoxie, they were united in marriage on May 2, 1948. In 1945, while stationed in Germany, Allen received a letter from his dad, Charles E. Neal, stating he had an opportunity to buy the plumbing portion of Mickey Hardware. He asked his son to join him. Allen and his dad made the purchase and started Neal Plumbing Shop. He was partners with his father until 1960 when his father retired. Allen continued, with Ingrid’s help, to own and operate Neal Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning for a total of forty-five years. On October 1, 1990 Allen and Ingrid retired and sold the business. Allen’s retirement did not slow him down. He enjoyed his hobbies of genealogy, photography, distance running, and amateur radio. He took great pleasure in bird watching. Allen was a busy person and served his community in many ways. He was Sheridan County Civil Defense Director, a storm spotter, volunteer fire fighter, and EMT. He served on the Sheridan County Hospital Board. He was past president of the Sheridan County Historical Society. He was also a member of the Friends of Cottonwood Ranch, Ham Radio Operator Club, and Sheridan County Council on Aging. He represented Sheridan County on the Northwest Kansas Area Transit Coordinating Council, and was involved in many other organizations. Allen was a faithful member of the United Methodist Church of Hoxie. He was very involved and instrumental in the video ministry of the church. He was a man with a kind spirit and loving heart. Most of all, Allen loved and cherished his family. The quiet legacy this man left us can be seen in many ways in the Hoxie community. As he and many others of his generation are quietly vanishing from the plains of Kansas, it should be remembered that they helped form the foundation of this community. Allen is survived by his son Norbert and wife Catherine of Elk City, KS; daughters, Karin Knight and husband Jim of Aiken, South Carolina; Belinda Cullen and husband Patrick of Berryton, KS; and brother Varlan Neal and wife Catherine of Oberlin, KS; sister, Mary Karnes of Hoxie, KS; grandchildren, Stacy Winchester, Ryan Knight, and Neal Cullen; and great-grandchildren, Caroline and Bergen Winchester, and Kane Cullen. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ingrid; parents Charles and Nellie (Shea) Neal; brothers, James and William Neal; and sister, Ruby Holmes. Finally, like good ground wave propagation, Allen’s life and legacy extend way beyond the horizon of his own life to the generations that follow. His radio call sign, K0MXU has signed off for now, but his love and memories will transmit forever in our hearts until we meet again. Donations may be made to the United Methodist Church of Hoxie or the Sheridan County Health Complex and may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, P.O. Box 987, Hoxie, Kansas 67740. Online condolences may be left at www.mickeyleopoldfuneral.com. Reception: Hoxie United Methodist Church