John E. Neill

John Edward Neill, 82, died at his home on Wednesday, November 10, 2022 surrounded by family.

John had a great interest in agriculture and the land and he was an accomplished craftsman and fisherman. John graduated from Creighton High School in 1958 and attended Central Missouri State. He worked the night shift at Western Electric as a machinist and farmed during the day. He joined Carpenters Local 61, helping to build sports stadiums and several other Kansas City landmarks.  Building things was always important to John and he took his talents to Garden City and started a subdivision just south of town. Farming and construction blended and he started IB&E constructing grain bins, metal buildings and irrigation systems. This soon followed with the Cook and Neill families forming NECO Seeds combining all of those industries into a business to plant, harvest, clean and sell hybrid seed.  He served on multiple community and company boards.  John eventually again merged all of his talents and took the role of President of the Garden City Bank until his retirement.   

John was always an active farmer from grain and seed fields down to vegetable gardens and he always maintained his prized blackberry patch right up until this summer. He was also an avid fisherman and fished nearly every day possible if he was near water.  As a result, he and Kathy lived in a succession of homes at the Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake and winters in Florida. John loved boating along with fishing. Over the years he had quite a collection of different vessels.  He especially loved his flybridge cruisers and living on the water in Missouri and Florida having his boats right outside the door. He and Kathy enjoyed lots of adventures together including taking cruises and traveling internationally. He promised Kathy a road to adventure and it truly has been.

John was born on September 7, 1940 in Creighton, Missouri to Noah Francis Neill and Gladys Marie (Bunch) Neill. John was married to Janet (Weaver) Ballew and they had two children, Eric and Kelley.  He later married Kathleen (Townsend) Neill on August 10, 1985 and she survives at the home.

John is survived by his wife Kathy, his children, Eric (Julie) Neill, Harrisonville and Kelley (Powell) Carman, St. Louis; Krista (Mark) Davis, Clinton; five grandchildren, Callaway and Carter Neill, Olivia and James Carman and Grant Davis and one great grandson Truman Neill. He is also survived by his sisters Alta Wehmeyer and Donna Killingsworth, as well as his constant canine companion Peaches, many nieces, nephews and friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Carolyn Harbstreet and stepson Bobby Batson.

John loved dessert, especially pie and ice cream.  Please join the family Sunday, November 13, 2022, for desserts while visiting from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the Garden City United Methodist Church.  The service will follow in the church starting at 2:30 p.m. with Pastor Darren Rew officiating. Burial will follow at the Garden City Cemetery in Garden City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Parkinson’s Foundation or The American Heart Association and maybe sent in care of the Dickey Funeral Home, P.O. Box 432, Harrisonville, Missouri. 

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri.