William Henry Neal

William (Bill) Henry Neal, 84, of McGregor, TX, passed away peacefully Sunday, July 19, 2026, in his home with his children and grandchildren at his side.

Visitation will be Sunday, July 26, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, with a Rosary at 2:30 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, July 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Jerome Catholic Church followed by burial at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in West.

Bill was born in Kendallville, Indiana, to Maynard and Margaret Neal on November 18, 1941. He was the eldest of three children. He grew up in Albion where he spent his days mowing lawns or baling hay. After graduating from Albion Jefferson High School in 1959, where he served as class president, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Germany. Upon discharge Bill moved to Santa Monica, California where he met Theresa Marie. They were married in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, February 18, 1964, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. They were married for 59 years until her passing in 2023. After they were married, they moved back to Fort Wayne, Indiana where their son, Joseph Anthony was born in 1965. During this time, he attended the Indiana Institute of Technology and worked for the Indiana DOT. He earned his degree in electrical engineering.

After graduation, he took a job with General Dynamics in Pomona, California where his daughter, Ursula Anne, was born in 1968. During his career with General Dynamics, he earned his MBA while also working in several missile development programs such as Standard Missile, AMRAAM, Tomahawk, TOW, and Sparrow Missile. His work often took him overseas to Israel. In 1982, he took a position in Camden, Arkansas running production of the Standard and Sparrow Missile programs. In 1989, he returned to Southern California. A few years later, Hughes Aircraft purchased General Dynamics and Bill was instrumental in helping transfer the missile production programs to Tucson, Arizona. In 1997 Raytheon took over and he continued to work on various programs.

Despite being ‘Superman’, Bill officially retired in 1999. He enjoyed his retirement in Tucson, Arizona and eventually built Theresa and his dream mountain home in Show Low, Arizona.

Throughout his life, Bill was a true adventure man. Whether rafting the Colorado river with his family and hitchhiking back to get the car, braving storms while houseboating on Lake Powell, racing stock cars in Indiana, or fishing in Canada and Mexico with the guys, he never slowed down. He spent many years as an active runner and marathoner, often training alongside his dog, Pepper. He loved backpacking, skiing with his grandchildren (almost always in Lake Tahoe), and being outdoors at any chance. Bill and Theresa shared a love of travel creating memories all over the world, though Las Vegas was a personal favorite. When he wasn’t in a lake fishing, on a mountain skiing, or playing Craps in the casino, you could find him out in the yard working on a project or sitting in the garage enjoying a beer.

More than his remarkable career or adventurous spirit, Bill’s greatest joy was his family, especially his grandchildren. He loved them and they loved him right back. He believed in each of them, celebrated every accomplishment, and was their biggest fan. He never missed the opportunity to cheer them on at every match, meet, recital, or event. Papa created a lifetime of memories with his grandchildren through adventures both big and small. Whether he was putting them to work pulling weeds, searching for “alien” rocks in the driveway, or scrubbing the pool, he made even the most menial chores seem exciting. He was always eager to hear about their lives, offer advice when needed, and genuinely shared their excitement. Making Papa proud was an indescribable feeling. In his later years, he was also blessed with the joy of becoming a great-grandfather.

Eventually, his kids convinced him and Theresa to move closer to family and they made their final move to Waco, Texas in 2020.

Bill was blessed to have both his children down the street from him. He enjoyed going out to the farm with his son and splitting wood and binge-watching shows with his daughter at the lake. Bill was a man of routine. His discipline and structure were unmatched. He was a devout Catholic who never missed a Sunday mass. Every morning, he was in his home office following the Market and trading stocks. Even in his final days, he tried imposing his wisdom and intense strategies to his family.

He was a man of few words, but those he did speak were wise, witty, and sincere. There was no job too small, no mountain too high or fish too fast that he couldn’t tackle. He will be missed by all and forgotten by none.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Theresa Marie; his daughter, Christine Marie; his parents Maynard and Maragaret Neal; his sister Jo Dull; his brother-in-law Rick Dull; and his great-granddaughter Rosemary Grace Diamond.

He is survived by his son, Joseph Neal (Kristina) of McGregor; his daughter Ursula Bumpass (Michael) of McGregor; his grandchildren Mary Diamond (Austin), Madeline Bumpass, Monica Cantrell (Baxter), Erik Neal, Nicholas Neal, Christian Neal, and Joseph Neal; his great-granddaughter Theresa Diamond; his brother James Neal; and numerous other beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, family, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The ARC Noble County Foundations, 506 S. Orange St., Albion, IN 46701. You can email jkessler@thearcfoundations.com or call (260) 636-2155.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory of William in his “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.