Frances L. Neal, 91, a resident of Otterbein Saint Marys Retirement Community and formerly of Mansfield and Lexington, Ohio, died 11:37 A.M. Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at Otterbein Saint Marys Retirement Community.

 

She was born April 12, 1920, in Mansfield, Ohio, the daughter of Edgar and Verna (Collier) Case.

 

She married Glenn A. Neal on July 20, 1940 and he preceded her in death on February 15, 2007.

 

She is also survived by her two children: Patricia (Roger)McDermott of Vonore, Tennessee; Thomas (Janice) Neal of Pinckney, Michigan; by eight grandchildren : Jeffrey McDermott of Chicago; Melissa (Ray) Roberts of Zionsville, Indiana; Heather (Marc) Luley of Loveland, Ohio; Richard (Maryanne) Neal of Charleston, South Carolina; Brian (Melissa) Neal of Colorado; Amy Sorrells of Charlotte, North Carolina; Jaime (Richard) Peters of Howell, Michigan; Christine (Michael) Leahey of Marietta, Georgia; by twelve great-grandchildren.
 

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband;  by two daughters, Barbara Jean Neal and Linda Louise Neal, who both died in infancy; by two brothers, John Case and Harry Case.
 

Frances was a 1938 graduate of Mansfield Senior High School. She retired from the Ohio Brass Company in 1985 after 24 years of service as a secretary. She was a former member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Mansfield and attended the Wayne Street United Methodist Church in Saint Marys. She was at active volunteer at the Kingwood Center in Mansfield, where she was won numerous awards for her floral arrangements; she was well known in the Mansfield area for her beautiful yard with 150 rose bushes, perennials, annuals and vegetables. She was an active member of the Weeds Beware Garden Club in Mansfield. She had also been a volunteer in the outpatient department of Mansfield General Hospital; she was an active volunteer at Otterbein Saint Marys and was a member of the Otterbein Band.

 

Funeral rites will be held  2:00 P.M. Saturday, January 21, 2012, in the Meyer Community Chapel on the campus of Otterbein Saint Marys Retirement Community, the Reverend Steve Weatherly, officiant. Burial will follow at Elm Grove Cemetery in Saint Marys.

 

Friends may call one hour prior to services at Otterbein Saint Marys, where memorial donations may be directed to the Otterbein Saint Marys Benevolence Fund.