Walter Eugene Neal

Walter Eugene Neal, age 79, of St. Catherine passed away on February 26, 2021.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am at St. Catherine Catholic Church on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 with Fr. Dave Ambrosy officiating. A visitation will be held from 9:30 am until 10:30 am at the church. Military Honors will be accorded by the Dubuque Marine Corps League following mass. Burial will take place at a later date in Mount Calvary Cemetery. A live stream of the funeral mass will be on Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory’s Facebook page.

Walter was born on February 2, 1942 in Delhi, Iowa to Wesley and Nellie (Turner) Neal, the youngest of seven children.  He graduated from Dubuque Senior High School and served in the United States Navy and the National Guard.  He married Rose Gonzales in Dubuque on October 28, 1967.  They had two children, Phillip and Heather.

Walter worked at Dubuque Packing Company, FDL Foods and Farmland Foods before joining the City of Dubuque as a driver for Project Concern, later joining the staff of the Hilton Garden Inn.  He served on the board of directors for Dupaco Community Credit Union for several years.  Walter was president of the Bird Dog Club and a member of the Dubuque Saddle Club.  He was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church.

In his spare time, Walter was often found fishing, hunting, and riding horses.  He enjoyed training his hunting dogs, shoeing horses and taking flying lessons.  He liked working in his garage and yard and spending time with his children, grandchildren and extended family.

Walter was survived by his wife, Rose; son Phillip of Dubuque; son-in-law Brian Davis of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; grandson Austin Hamilton of Seattle; grandsons Joe Sanders, Austin Sanders, Noah Neal, and Levi Neal and their mother, Crystal (Fuller) Neal of Dubuque; sister Helen Warden of Dyersville; sisters-in-law Lois Neal of Cocoa Beach, Florida and Janice Neal of Ankeny, Iowa; and many great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his daughter Heather, his parents, brothers Howard, Harold, and Burdette, and sisters Grace Frommelt and Greta Thomas.

Online condolences may be left at www.leonardfuneralhome.com.

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