The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Neal Eugene McCormick died on June 23, 2023 in Greeley.

He was born on Sept. 8, 1948 in Holyoke to Willis Lloyd McCormick and Norma Ann (Yowell) McCormick. He was a son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. He was raised in the Wages area with brothers, Dallas and Gale, and sisters Narda and Nola.

As a child, he grew up doing farm chores like feeding chickens and gathering eggs, feeding and milking cows, feeding pigs, shocking cane and helping his dad pickup blown down corn with a horse drawn wagon and sideboard.

When the family made the trip into town, his brothers liked to buy comic books like Superman and The Green Lantern but Neal always got Combat and GI at War comics. BB guns became carbines and the Roy Rogers cap guns became 45 cal sidearms. Neal supplemented the arsenal with a bazooka made from a galvanized pipe and he created BARs and machine guns from old boards, metal rods and nails. He also made sure there was a good supply of dirt clod hand grenades. From the age of six to 12, he was almost single-handedly responsible for protecting the farmstead from countless attacks of crazed enemy hordes.

On the farm he was always working on some invention or project and later in life he would spend two days machining a part that he could have bought at the hardware store for less than $5.

In school he was good in math but often got poor grades because he refused to show his work. He would figure out the problem in his head and just write down the answer. He attended the Wages one room school through sixth grade and then attended Holyoke Schools and graduated from Holyoke high School in 1967. In high school he enjoyed wresting and playing football.

He moved with the family to Auburn, Wash. in 1967 and went to work at Boeing as a machinist, working the graveyard shift. He also attended college at the same time and earned an Associate's Degree in mechanical engineering in 1969. He also earned a SUBA diving certificate and a private pilot's license during that time.

Neal was drafted into the Army in 1969 and was sent to serve his country by fighting in the Vietnam War. He married Irene (Roll) McCormick in 1970. From that union Kathy, Bob and Kevin were born.

After his military service the family moved to Missouri for a short time and then returned to the Holyoke area. He put his flying skills to use and worked as a crop duster for a time. He then went to work for Louis Harmon to learn surveying. He earned his surveyors license in the State of Colorado and eventually purchased the company from Louis and named it Great Plains Surveying. He logged thousands of miles driving and flying his plain to projects throughout eastern Colorado, western Kansas and western Nebraska. He also gave his time to the community by serving on the Holyoke Volunteer Fire Department for over 25 years. In his free time, he enjoyed golfing and he loved to barbecue.

He retired from surveying several years ago and enjoyed living at and working around their place south of Paoli.