John R. McNeill

The Rev. John R. McNeill Jr., 71, of Lincoln, Neb., passed away on Wednesday, November 26, 2014, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Services honoring his life will be Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Free Evangelical Church, 3300 S. 84th Street in Lincoln with Pastor Mark Brunott officiating. Burial will be later in the Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery. There will be no visitation. Memorials are planned to the Evangelical Free Church in Constanza, Romania. Please visit www.hlmkfuneral.com to leave a tribute or message of condolence. Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services in Kearney in charge of arrangements. John was born in Crawfordsville, Iowa on September 12, 1943, alongside his identical twin brother James. Inseparable, they attended college and graduate school together before eventually going into ministry as part of the Free Church, a Scandinavian Christian denomination. McNeill served as pastor for the Free Church in Kearney for over 25 years, touching thousands of lives. Outside of the limelight of ministry he was a quiet servant, visiting the sick, doing yard work for the elderly and serving on the Kearney Housing Authority. With a love of learning, he pursued and was granted multiple advanced degrees including theology and counseling. His love of people took him on mission trips for multiple years in Romania, to build a partnership with an inner city church in Chicago and to spend time in a kibbutz in Israel with his father in the 1980s. After moving to Lincoln in 1999, he joined MassMutual as a career agent. He also continued to serve and teach a large senior group at First Free Church in Lincoln. Outside of family and friends, McNeill had two passions: Nebraska Football and Volleyball. He was a member of the Match Club and a courtside fixture at Nebraska Volleyball home games. This past summer, he and his wife, Lois, celebrated their 50th anniversary by renewing their vows with a group of relatives and friends in the Pacific Northwest. Together they raised two children, followed by four grandchildren that loved him dearly and came to his side during the final days of his life. He is survived by his wife, Lois McNeill; son, Jonathan and daughter-in-law Heidi McNeill of Boston and their children Connor and Hannah; daughter, Lorna McNeill-Heid of Atlanta and her daughters Emma and Katelyn; nephews, Kent McNeill of Omaha, Jim McNeill of Adele, Iowa; and nieces, Julie McNeill of Chicago, Liz Newquist of Los Angeles, and Deborah Kuhner of Mill Valley, Calif., and Marcia McLaughlin of Des Moines, Iowa. PDF Printable Version

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John R. McNeill

November 26, 2014 - November 26, 2014