Neal Vandenburgh

I am blessed to have had Neal in my life. We met thru work some 40 years ago and I still can see him sitting at the low glulam table in our conference room with his briefcase computer designing a roof structure right in front of me. Neal loved technology !
Many of my most memorable life experiences were due to Neal and Dorothy inviting us on excursions- starting with their making my family part of their growing family with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Our kids were close in age and it was always a warm experience. As Neal's family grew to the point that his grandchildren were old enough to meaningfully say what they were thankful for, Neal and I were the one's fighting back tears listening to their love.
Then, there was the trip to Costa Rica to deep sea fish. It was my first time fishing for something larger than a carp and after that, lake fishing seemed too wimpy !
There were trips we shared to Hawaii, London and Ireland, and taking two boats down the canals south of Paris. Then there were the boat trips that were always a new experience.

Neal had a solid character of getting things done in a calm manner. This ability lead him to extreme success in his business ventures and in his life. Saying this, it brings back a memory of being on Eazy Cruz in a bay off British Columbia with the propellor tangled with "someone's" crabbing line. Someone had to go under the boat and untie it besides Neal, as he had a health issue at the time- Darby volunteered but lasted 5 seconds under the boat. I stood there thinking I should do it- but froze more than the frigid water with claustrophobic thoughts about being under the boat...Neal quickly donned the dry suit and jumped in and got it done...that was Neal !

It is obvious that Neal was a great parent and grand parent simply by looking at his very loving family.

Neal always had a smile, a sincerity, and a warmth that I will remember when I look at a sunset...sunsets were memorable to Neal, perhaps as they celebrated another day.

Wes

Very sorry to hear about Neal's passing. He was a fantastic and patient man, and I enjoyed working with him. Prayers for comfort to Dorothy and the rest of the family.

I'm Mckenna and I'm his grandchild. I was adopted and when I came home and I was only 5 months and I was crying. My grandma picked me up and I still cried. My mom, dad, aunt, and cousins picked me up and I still cried. But when my Papa picked me up I stopped crying. From the beginning to the end I was always loving my papa.