Born to Pearl and Ada Belle Kesterson on January 14, 1931.

Neal had a typical childhood growing up in Chico and graduated from high school in 1949. In September of that year he enrolled in Chico State College on a two-year program majoring in Drafting and Mapping. In January 1951, not wanting to be drafted, he enlisted in the U S. Coast Guard. He spent four months in boot camp, one year on a sea-going buoy tender operating between San Francisco and the Oregon border. He then volunteered for overseas duty and spent one year on top of a hill northeast of Pusan, Korea on a mobile Loran station. He returned to the United States and spent his last eight months working with the U.S. Customs on port security in Philadelphia and was honorably discharged in January 1951.

Neal returned to Chico and worked part time using the GI bill and re-entered Chico State College. He changed his major to a four-year program majoring in Industrial Arts and Applied Science. In college he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and a member of the college football team. In the summer between his junior and senior year he met the love of his life and future wife, Pat Heney, and they both graduated in June 1958, and were married in June 1959. They were married for 64 wonderful years.

After graduation Neal spent six years in the missile industry in Sacramento, Beale Air Force Base, and Santa Barbara. While in Santa Barbara, their daughter Kris and son Michael were born. In June 1959, the government stopped all funding on the Titan missile and Neal and hundreds of others lost their jobs. He returned to Sacramento and acquired a job with Teichert & Son, a general contractor. There he managed and inspected various construction projects.

In 1967 while on vacation in Fortuna he acquired a job with Winzler & Kelly Consulting Engineers in Eureka, where he worked on multiple engineering jobs in Humboldt County. Having a state of California building inspector license, his main job was building construction inspection. He retired from Winzler & Kelly in 1996 after 28 years.

While still employed and after retirement, Neal spent 16 years on the City of Fortuna Planning Commission and four one-year terms as its chairman. He also spent five years on the Fortuna Design Review Board and a one-year term as its chairman. Neal was also a 22-year member of Elks Lodge 652. While retired, Neal spent multiple hours in his shop making various signs out of horseshoes and light fixtures out of deer horns. He even made a two-person, four-wheel bike from scratch just for the heck of it.

Neal and family had two recreational spots: a lease lot on Ruth Lake for 25 years and a camp on the family ranch at Petrolia where they and their friends spent many fun-filled vacations. After they retired, Neal and Pat took many wonderful trips: cross country to the east coast taking in Mardi Gras on the way, to Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, China, twelve different countries in Europe, and cruises to Alaska and through the Panama Canal. They also took many snow skiing trips to various locales.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his son Michael. Those surviving him are his wife Pat, his daughter Kris (Tom) his granddaughter Brittany Powell (Lyndon), great granddaughter Mila, great grandson Levi, granddaughter Nicole Whitmire (Chase) and great granddaughter River, his sister Lorlene, and his nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his cat “Buddy.”

At Neal’s request there will be no services. His ashes will be placed by his son’s ashes at the Petrolia ranch.