Joan Neal
October 12, 1941 - September 26, 2026
Funeral services:
San Jose Funeral Home-East
(915) 590-8700
10950 Pellicano Drive
In Loving Memory of...
Joan Neal
Joan Neal, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, was born on October 12, 1941, in Seagraves, Texas. She passed away on September 26, 2026, in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Joan graduated from Aztec High School in 1960. That same year, she married William “Bill” Joseph Neal in Aztec. They shared a loving marriage until Bill’s passing in February 2015, and together raised three sons.
For 20 years, Joan supported Bill’s service in the U.S. Army, often caring for their boys on her own while he was deployed during the Vietnam War and other missions. She embraced Army life, accompanying Bill to assignments across the country—from Florida to Alaska and California to Alabama, with many places in between. After Bill’s retirement, they made El Paso their home. Years after his passing, Joan moved to Rio Rancho to be closer to family.
Joan worked many jobs to help support her family during the military years. She took in ironing for other military families and soldiers, worked as a Kelly Girl in the El Paso area, distributed retail advertisements door to door, and spent several years in retail at Montgomery Ward. In 2003, she retired from the Texas Department of Public Safety after 18 years with the Driver License Division.
A loving and caring woman, Joan had a deep love for Jesus and her country. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Horizon City, Texas. She enjoyed ceramics, knitting, crochet, and puzzles, and had a special fondness for all things red, white, and blue.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Alvin Roland Montgomery and Billie Jo Montgomery; her husband, Bill; granddaughter, Sharon Michelle Neal; and her daughters-in-law, Linda Neal and Janet Lea Neal.
She is survived by her sisters, Paula Gonzales and her husband, Victor, and Patricia Spiller and her husband, Leon; her sons, Charles Bradley Neal and his wife, Janet Kavanaugh, Roy Alan Neal and his wife, Myra, and James Alvin Neal; five grandchildren, Cory, Gary, Amy, Cody, and Kailey; eleven step-grandchildren; and five step-great-great- grandchildren.
Visitation: October 5, 2026,
Family 3:00-4:00pm
Public 4:00-8:00pm
San Jose Funeral Home (East Side)
10950 Pelicano Dr.
El Paso, TX 799350
915-590-8700
Grave Side Services:
October 6, 2026, 11:00am
Ft. Bliss National Cemetery
5200 Fred Wilson Ave
El Paso, TX 79906
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