George Neal's Obituary
George Raymond Neal died of a sudden heart attack on June 25, 2013 at home. He will be remembered as being an accomplished mountaineer and outdoor sports enthusiast, an excellent professor, and a wonderful spouse and stepfather.
George was born on October 21, 1951 and grew up in a busy household, one of four children of George Eugene Neal, Jr. and Eleanor Louise Raymond Neal, in Fort Worth Texas. He graduated from Nolan High School in 1970. He served his country in the Air Force as a Helicopter Mechanic at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington from 1972 through his honorable discharge in December, 1977, attaining the rank of Sergeant E-4. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Spokane Falls Community College in 1975, his BS in Chemistry and Biology in 1977 and his Master of Science degree in 1991. He joined the Spokane Mountaineers and Spokane Folklore Society, where he found there a group of like-minded friends for life. George worked at the Spokane Waste Water Treatment plant from 1978 to 1996 as a Chemist. He taught computer skills at Spokane Community College from 1996 through 1999 and also ran his own business, K & N Computer Consultants, for five years. He retired from the City of Spokane and began teaching Computer Network Administration at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington, where he worked until his death. He loved teaching, the students, his colleagues and his computer work, touching many lives in a positive way.
He married Sara “Sunny” Burns in Spokane, Washington on May 3, 1997. He loved outdoor sports, excelling in telemark skiing, kayaking, biking, hiking, rock climbing and mountain climbing; and he equally loved sharing sports with his wife. He was a loving husband to Sunny, providing constant support, whole-heartedly adopting her extended family as his own.
George is survived by his wife Sunny, stepchildren Dan Burns of Spokane WA, Cory Burns of Philadelphia PA, Rose Harris and husband Ross of Gig Harbor WA, Caitlin Burns of Tacoma WA; grandchildren Mason James Burns and Kennedy Lee Harris; sister Eleanor and husband Bruce Thompson of Fort Worth TX; brothers Michael Neal of Fort Worth TX, and Larry Neal and wife Jean of McLean VA, and several nieces and nephews. Father and mother-in-law Jim & Esther Waldrip of Coupeville WA; brother and sister-in-law Pete & Sue Waldrip of Port Angeles; nieces and nephews Stacey, Jonathon, Matthew and Martin Waldrip, Candace and John Thompson, Heather Whitford- Uglem, and Jeffrey, Christopher and Jeanne Neal. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial and celebration of George’s life will be held at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia on July 27, 2013 at 2:00 pm in the Minneart Performing Arts Center, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, WA 98512. Refreshments in the lobby following the Memorial Service.
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