Kathleen Neal (born Seely)
Personal
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: January 30, 1925
Date of Death: October 3, 2015
Birth Place: Dallas, TX
Death Place: Austin, TX
Kathleen NEAL
Kathleen Neal (Trinka), 90, died in Austin on Oct 3, 2015. She was born in Dallas Jan 30, 1925, the 3rd daughter of M. Stuart Seely and Louise Berwick Seely. She was followed by a brother, M.S. (Buddy) Seely, Jr. who died at age 5 of strep throat.
She grew up on Gaston Ave in Dallas across the street from Baylor Hosp where her Pop was a physician. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson HS and UT with a Geology degree. One of the highlights of her geology studies was going to Mexico in 1944 for the eruption of the cornfield volcano, Paricutin.
Trinka married Air Corps pilot Thad M. Neal July 19, 1946 in NYC just before he shipped off to Frankfurt, Germany to fly the Berlin Airlift. Trinka soon joined him and they were soon joined by their daughter Lucinda in 1948.
Next USAF assignment was Ft Worth where Robert, Julie and Mark were born. The family then moved to Wichita Falls, then Springfield, Va where Thad worked at the Pentagon and Trinka made sure no sight was left unseen, scout troop left unled or park unexplored. The final USAF stop was Atlanta. Thad was training in FL to spray Agent Orange in Viet Nam when his plane crashed leaving Trinka to raise 4 teens. She moved back to Ft Worth and a Lib Science degree from NTSU enabling her to work many years in public and school libraries. She spent her summers and retirement travelling the world sometimes with a sister, Phoebe Jane Felker or Dorothy Conlon or fellow retired librarians.
The last 7 years of her life were spent in Austin. The last 3 yrs at the amazing, hidden gem Southern Hospitality Home where her keen observations and curiosity were appreciated right to the end.
She was preceded in death by her parents and sisters.
She is survived by her daughter Cindy Morgan and husband Fletcher of Merritt Is, FL and step grandsons Bryson and Jamie. Son Bob and wife Betsy of Marietta, GA. Granddaughter Tristan Lee and husband Casey and their children Ada, Ruby and Xavier of Midlothian. Grandson Travis Neal, wife Lynn and their daughter Kate of Ft Collins, CO. Daughter Julie Walker of Austin and her daughters Dorothy Boeck and husband Max of Denver, Lily Beesley and husband Bradley of Austin. Son Mark of Midlothian and lifelong friends Helen Faye Herd of Dallas and Billie Rice of Ada, OK and the visiting Conklin girls, Kellie, Kathy and Kary of Irving.
A memorial will be held at the family farm in Midlothian on Nov 7th. Memorial donations to the Salvation Army are appreciated.
Published in Austin American-Statesman from October 9 to October 10, 2015
