Born May 17, 1953. Heaven needed a softball player that could slow pitch and hit; called up March 2, 1975.
From ?
Come on, we all remember good ol' Neal in some way !
For gosh sakes, how could/can you not "see" him, with that imposing size ?
Always a super nice guy, always smiling, always laughing at my bad jokes,
and yet, for a large young man, not a mean pound in this gentle giant.
A dang nice guy.
From Bill Davenport:
I grew up with Neal in Carrboro. It's been many years ago, however he was a nice guy, always friendly.
He was a big guy, but not intimidating or bullying in any way.
I remember he had this old late 40's or early 50's ford pickup truck with a flathead v-8 engine.
If you know anything about cars, it was cool then, and still is today, plus worth a ton of money!!
I was shocked when he died, it was a real loss.
He was a good guy, taken too soon.
From Chris Riggsbee:
Neal was my cousin.
We grew up playing whatever sport was in season in the neighborhoods of Carrboro.
You didn't want to get in his way when he got up a head of steam.
He was a nice guy with a gentle soul.
From Paula Wright Pressley:
I knew Neal from 1st grade on. Neal, Sheryl, and I were very close friends.
I remember he would pick us up in his MG.
All three of us never missed a meal during our younger years,
so it was a tight fit to say the least.
Neal was alway making me laugh.
I will always miss him.
From Donnie Tuck:
The summer before our senior year in high school and during our senior year,
Neal and I became tennis regulars at the UNC tennis courts.
Neal had a first serve that sounded and moved like a rocket.
But his second serve was so soft, sometimes it would barely make it over the net.
That was fine when I was playing against him.
However, when I was his partner,
I would backpedal as quickly as I could to avoid getting creamed by our opponent's return.