NEAL R. GAREY
Neal Robert Garey, 96, of Grand Island, passed away Tuesday, October 18, 2022, in Grand Island. A celebration of life for Neal will be at the All Faiths Funeral Home in Grand Island on Saturday morning, November 12, 2022. The family will welcome friends at 9:00 and the memorial service will begin at 10:00.
Inurnment will be at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery with military honors provided by the United States Navy and the Grand Island Veterans Honor Guard.
Friends are then invited to join the family for lunch at the First Christian Church, 2400 West 14th Street. For those unable to attend, the memorial service will be live streamed and available on the All Faiths website. Neal was born June 2, 1926, in Wilsonville, Nebraska, to Merlin and Cora (Johnson) Garey.
He grew up in Edison, graduating from Edison High School where he excelled in sports. He graduated from the University of Nebraska and was a lifelong Husker fan. He enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1944, serving in the South Pacific during WWll and was honorably discharged on June 2, 1946.
Neal and Jeannine Swayze were married in 1948. They were wonderful parents to Sherry, Susan and Jeff. Some of the family’s favorite memories are of camping trips and vacations spent in Rocky Mountain National Park. Neal and Jeannine had been married for 40 years when Jeannine passed away. The couple lived in Edison, North Platte, Lincoln and moved to Grand Island in 1967.
Neal married Joyce Anderson in 1990. They had 15 years together, traveling, enjoying their home on Kuester Lake and their friends and families. Neal was an insurance adjuster, owned and operated Crocker Claims Service.
Following his retirement in 1985 he was employed part-time as a private investigator for a local law firm. Neal was a member of the First Christian Church, Riverside Golf Club, American Legion, Saddle Club, Liederkranz and Kuester Lake Association. Over the years he enjoyed playing golf, camping, traveling, yardwork, and caring for his flowers and especially his grandchildren. Those who will cherish his memory include his daughters, Sherry Block of Hastings and Jana (Scott) Van Wie of Grand Island; son, Brett Anderson of Broken Bow, son-in-law, Tim Fuerstenau of LaVista; sister, Marjory Hanna of Colby, KS; brother-inlaw, Jerry Kerr, of Tulsa, OK; granddaughters, Tracey (Jim) Christensen of Omaha, Kerry (Dan) Acker of Lincoln, Cami (Neal) Hughes of Papillion, Ashley (Dirk) Wiseman of Lincoln, Kayla (Drew) Tasler of Omaha, Krista (Mason) Beel of Waverly; grandsons, Dan (Vicki) Block of Hastings, Brian Garey of Lincoln, and Lucas Van Wie of Longmont, CO; great granddaughters, Emily Block of Overland Park, KS, Laura and Abby Christensen of Omaha, Chase Acker of Lincoln, Lily Hughes of Papillion, Morgan Acker of Lincoln, and Mae Joy Beel of Waverly; great grandsons, Robert (Katie) Acker of Parker, CO, Adam Block of Hastings and Ashton Hughes of Papillion; great, great grandson, Brady Acker of Parker, CO; nieces, nephews, cousins and many wonderful friends. Neal was preceded in death by his wives, Jeannine and Joyce; daughter, Susan Fuerstenau; son, Jeffrey Garey; sister-in-law, Linda Kerr; brother-inlaw, Robert Hanna; and great grandson, Evan Acker.
In lieu of flowers and plants memorials may be designated for the First Christian Church or the Kuester Lake Association.
