Kenneth and Ruby Neal had fourteen grandchildren. Twelve of us are still living, most of us in Iowa. Several have been school teachers, a couple of insurance men, only three farmed. Mostly retired now. Four of us were born during WWII.
Presbyterian Church, Dexter, Iowa. At least seven of these youngsters are Neal cousins. Where is Susan? (She said she never would have worn a bow in her hair, so she’s not the girl next to me.)
All five families lived on farms. Until1958, we all were bused to the Dexter school, and the Neals attended the same church. Grandpa Neal used to like to count how many grandchildren were in the choir each Sunday. Eight of us are in the above photo. Aunt Nadine (Neal) Shepherd, choir director, is in the back on the right end.
The town of Dexter, tucked into the corner where four counties come together, became too small to maintain an independent school so we cousins were split into three different schools, depending on which counties our farms were in.
A cousin reunion, Dallas Center, Iowa, August 13, 2016. The only one missing was Ben Beaman.
Front: Joy Neal Kidney, Vince Wells, Judy Neal Johannesen, Susan Shepherd Isenhart (the four oldest). Middle: Jane Neal McClinton, Gloria Neal (turn 80 in 2026), Ken Shepherd, Patty Wells McKee (2027). Back: Jacque Beaman Johnson, Bill Beaman, Dawn Beaman Durham.
Johannesens and Shepherds had just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversaries a week earlier. Kidneys had celebrated their 50th in May.
We didn’t need nametags to recognize each other, but some from the next generation were there, and it was the first time they had met some of us.
2025: None of our parents are still living, two cousins live in Texas, and a handful of us are dealing with health challenges, so it’s much harder to get together. We’re thankful and blessed that there’s this many of us left, and for the memories and legacy of being the grandchildren of Kenneth and Ruby Neal.
Eleven days after that last photo, one cousin experienced a close call, but she’s still here, still the oldest!