Harry Campbell Neel wasa big fan of Thomas Jefferson. So much so that his grandson, Harry Collins Neel, at one time thought America's third president still was among the living.
"He had book after book after book on his shelf by Thomas Jefferson," Harry Collins Neel recalled. "He was always quot ing him. 'Tommy said this, Tommy said that.' l said, 'Grandpa, when am l going to meet this Tommy guy?' He said, 'Thomas Jefferson has been dead a long time.' He always spoke of him in the first person, and I thought he was living."
In fact, Harry Campbell Neel - who was an entrepreneur and had owned various businesses including Bettis Field, Pitts burghs first airport, an oil well in Titus ville, a coal mine in Elizabeth and truck farm in McKeesport - was such a big fan of Jefferson that when he founded a cemetery in 1929, he named it Jefterson Memorial Cemetery.
It was unique from the start because it didn't have tombstones. Instead, he adopted what was a new concept at the time: creating a memorial park that had flowing lawns, flower beds, trees, birds, animals and flat markers.
Since then, he and subsequent generations of family members have transformed what was once farmland into 180 developed acres that house a cemetery, funeral home, crematory and aboretum.
Harry Campbell Neel's son, John, then his grandson became involved with the family business; today, Harry Collins Neel is president and CEO.
"My father grew up with it, he worked here as a kid," he recalled. "He went off to World War II, upon his return, my grandfather said, 'I just fired my foreman. You are it.' There you go, Dad was here 67 years."
A funeral home opened in 1993, and a crematory was added in 2013. Since then, the company has done about 375 cremations. The cemetery had about 1,200 internments last year.
Today, Harry's wife, Marianne, works in the family business as the funeral home general manager. And two of their daughters, Whitney Neel and Dagny Neel Fitzpatrick, are actively involved in the company: Dagny is vice president and Whitney will become the family's first funeral director when she finishes her mortuary degree later this year. A third daughter, Brooke, also helps with website design and marketing. Dagny and Whitney are expected to take over the company at some point in the future.
"They are all great people, and they are learning and they are doing a good job," Harry said. "What's special about my father's and my relationship is we worked together everyday. It was really k ind of amazing. It went beyond father and son. I have that special relationship with my oldest daughter Dagny and will with Whitney when she comes on board."
