Mr. Odell Neal, of Charlotte, was born on April 16, 1921 in Mecklenburg County to the late Alonza and Ellie Weathers Neal.  He received his wings on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at the W.G. Heffner VA Medical Center Hospice and Palliative Care Unit in Salisbury, NC.  He was 98 years old.

Odell was reared on a farm where his family raised cotton, peanuts and corn.  He attended McClintock Elementary School, a Rosenwald School in the Steele Creek Community.  The Neal family activities revolved around school and the church.  At an early age, he joined McClintock Presbyterian Church and in his later years, joined Statesville Avenue Presbyterian Church.  At SAPC, he was a member of the Men's Council and enjoyed assisting with the preparation of the breakfast for the monthly meetings.  He was a faithful and loyal servant until his health began to decline.

In 1941, he met Alice Nash, whom he was married to for 70 years.  Shortly after, in 1943, he was drafted into the Unites States Army and served in World War II.  In 1946, after having served three years, he received an Honorable Discharge and returned to Charlotte, NC.

Odell had a passion for preparing and cooking meals.  He was employed as a cook by the Myers Park Country Club and the Radisson Hotel in Charlotte, from which he retired.   After several years in retirement, he returned to the kitchen as a cook for the Betty McCarroll Catering Company.  During his illness, when he felt up to it, he would bake one of his delicious egg custard pies.  In addition to cooking, he also enjoyed golfing and gardening.  Each year, he looked forward to planting a small garden and during his sickness, he still had a passion for it.  He would always say that he was a farm boy and that he was supposed to have a garden.  He also took pride in his lawn, and each year, he had some of the most beautiful flowers.   He worked the land until he was no longer able.

Odell was preceded in death by his wife, Alice Neal; three brothers, Willie, Roosevelt and Charles Neal and four sisters, Bessie Neal, Paralee Neal Corbett, Annie Mae Neal Mason and Ellen Neal Smith.

We are grieved with his passing but we bow in humble submission to the supremacy of death and God's Holy Will.  He is survived by his son, David A. Reid (Latra) of Charlotte, NC; two grandsons, Hollis Reid, and Timothy Reid (NaSheta), both of Charlotte, NC; two granddaughters,  Beverly Reid-Wallace of Charlotte, NC and April Reid Robinson (Timothy) of Concord, NC; one brother, James Thomas Neal, Sr., and six sisters, Lucille Stewart, Sadie Weathers, Margaret Johnson, Mary Lou Harris, Catherine Tyson (Saylor), and Nancy Neely (Phillip), all of Charlotte, NC; seven great-grandchildren, six great-great-grandchildren; one goddaughter, Barbara Brooks-Bowens; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.