McNEIL, Edward Francis 1948-1985

NESBIT, MCNEIL, WENDEL, STARK, LAAS, MILLER, SCHOTT, STEFFENS

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 9/23/2010 at 18:21:54

Services for Edward Francis McNeil were held Saturday at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Clermont with Rev. Karl Klein officiating. The mediation was given by Rev. Julius Peterson. The Schutte Funeral Service of Postville was in charge of arrangements.

Burial was in the Postville cemetery. Casket bearers were Roger Reed, Daryl Helgerson, David Aanes, Gary Schutte, Ben Hunsberger, Stephen Woods, Michael Schutte and Kevin Timmerman.

Edward Francis McNeil was born to John F. and Genevieve (Nesbit) McNeil on Dec. 19, 1948 at Postville. He was baptized at St. Bridget Catholic Church here and graduated from St. Francis DeSales High School, Ossian, in 1967. In 1968 he graduated from northeast Iowa Technical Institute in their agriculture program.

He was married Aug. 20, 1977 to Susan Wendel at St. Paul Lutheran Church here. They lived on their farm in Fayette County where he did custom farm work and was an independent trucker.

He is preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Ed McNeil and maternal grandparents, A. C. and Anna Nesbit.

Surviving are his wife, Susan, a daughter, Ann, his parents, Jack and Gen McNeil of Clermont, his paternal grandmother, Eleanor McNeil of here, 3 brothers, Michael of Fredericksburg, John of Tulsa, OK, and Joe of Clermont, 5 sisters, Diane (Mrs. Dennis Stark) of Richmond, VA; Colleen (Mrs. James Laas) of Ozark, MO; Carol (Mrs. Paul Miller), Mary (Mrs. Jerry Schott) and Teresa (Mrs. Gary Steffens) all of Clermont, and 18 nieces and nephews.

He was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Clermont.
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PICKUP TURNED OVER IN AIR, KILLS DRIVER NORTH OF POSTVILLE

Edward Francis McNeil, of rural Castalia was killed in a 1-vehicle accident 5 miles northeast of here Wednesday at about 6:35 p.m. He was taken to Community Memorial Hospital here, where he was pronounced dead on arrival as a result of head injuries.

The Postville Police Department, Postville Fire Department and Allamakee Sheriff's Department were called to the scene. McNeil, 36, reportedly was going southwest on Allamakee County Road W-4B and failed to negotiate a curve on his right.

The Iowa Highway Patrol said the vehicle, a pickup truck, then went onto the south shoulder of the road, the driver oversteered to get it back on the road and lost control, sending it into a side slide. The pickup then left the road and went into the south ditch, the patrol reported.

Then the vehicle was thrown into the air, landing on its top some 20 to 30 ft. up the hill that adjoins the ditch along the road, it was believed. It was reported that fence was broken part-way up the hill, and then went down into the ditch. It landed upright in the ditch, resting on its wheels and facing the opposite direction it had been going.

McNeil, who was alone in the pickup was not thrown from it. Doug Smith, of here, who said he was going the same direction as McNeil, arrived on the scene a few moments later and reported the accident.

He said he shut off the engine of the truck but declined to say anything else. "I don't know anything," he said. "They (police) told me not to say anything to anybody about it.
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Postville, Iowa newspaper of the time clipping, hand dated 1985, from Dorothy Schave's obituary collection.