Don Elbert O'Neal

Don E. O’Neal, founder of O’Neal Communications, recently doing business as O’Neal Consultants, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on October 10, 2022. He was 85. Born in Dallas on August 20, 1937, the middle son of Montie Lee and Edna Mae (Stephens) O’Neal, he later moved to Fort Worth with his family. He grew up in a household full of music and relished his days of adventure with his best friend, Mike, the family collie. A graduate of Paschal High School, where he played on multiple varsity teams, he then traveled to Waco to attend Baylor University, where he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce. After graduating from Baylor with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business, Don owned a construction business in Atlanta, where his two daughters, Jennifer and Stephanie, were born, before embarking on his technology career in 1975 in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1981, he became a technology consultant in the hospitality industry and maintained a total commitment to the hospitality industry ever since. His range of technology experience included writing specifications and managing the installation of telephone systems, as well as many other hotel systems. In addition, he directed software development for systems to monitor and manage telecommunications expense and telephone department financial performance. He was involved in the early development of interface standards to help mitigate the communication issues between Property Management Systems and other systems. On December 31, 1982, Don married the love of his life, Cheryl Sue Dexter, then a real estate agent with Henry S. Miller. Their shared love of travel led them to fly together whenever possible on his many business trips – often to Las Vegas and once each to Palau and Singapore. They took vacation trips to New Zealand and Argentina, but the bulk of their trips were to Hawai’i, the Big Island. They would stay at Kona by the Sea, where Don enjoyed hours of “body surfing” the waves from the safety of the saltwater pond at the shore’s edge. Don and Cheryl would’ve celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this New Year’s Eve.

Don was a member of the Hospitality Financial and Technical Professionals (HFTP) and the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and worked with the Historic Hotels of America. He collaborated with many well-known hotel companies, including Omni Hotels and Sonesta Hotels, as well as with celebrated real estate developers, including John Portman and Steve Wynn. Many of the hotels for whom he designed systems were in Las Vegas and included the Mirage, the Bellagio, and the Wynn hotel. His last consulting project and attended hotel opening was the Salamander Hotels & Resorts Nopsi Hotel in New Orleans on July 10, 2017.

Don was predeceased by his father and mother, Montie Lee and Edna Mae (Stephens) O’Neal, brother and sister-in-law, Glen Eldon and Velma Jo (Robinson) O’Neal, sister and brother-in-law, Barbara June (O’Neal) and Bobby Glenn Mallory, brother, Jerry Dale O’Neal, nephew, Michael Lee O’Neal, great-niece, Caroline Elizabeth O’Neal, daughter’s partner, Andrew “Andy” O’Neil, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Morrell Frank and Helen Crystal (Shively) Dexter, and sister-in-law, Sandra Lou (Dexter) McDonald. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl Sue (Dexter) O’Neal, daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer O’Neal and Ayman Abdellatif, daughter, Stephanie O’Neal, granddaughter and her husband, Safaa Abdellatif and Ahmad Tirhi, grandson, Phoenix O’Neal, a great-grandson, sister-in-law, Sonya Anita (Love) O’Neal, and brother-in-law and his partner, David Morrell Dexter and Mary Ann Robison.

Don is further survived by nephews and nieces Richard and Lynn (Calloway) O’Neal, and their children, Katherine (O’Neal) and Richard Sarrell and Michael and Tori (Prendergast) O’Neal, Jill (Mallory) and David Shanks, Robert O’Neal, Stuart Mallory, Renee (O’Neal) and Chris Schmidt, and their children, Brian Schmidt and Michael Schmidt, Kathryn (Mallory) and Eddie Horton, and their children, Derek Horton, Rob Horton, and Kate (Horton) and Nathan Williams, Suzanne (O’Neal) Hart, and her children, Annabel Hart and Ian Hart, Elizabeth (Mallory) and Chris Oliva, Allison (O’Neal) and David Skinner, and their children, Catherine Skinner and Charles Skinner, three great-great-nieces, and many cousins and relatives from Texas, Arizona, California, and Kansas.

We would like to thank Belmont Village Turtle Creek and Lakeway, UTSW Medical Center, Austin Geriatric Specialists, and Silverado Hospice for overseeing our father's care and safety for the past 3 years, especially during the pandemic. We would also like to extend our profound thanks and appreciation to our "Village" - Brian Hall, Ken Brown, Anita O'Neal, Allison Skinner, Stuart Mallory, Elizabeth Oliva, Sarah Hunter, Mary Ann Marshall, and Susie and Gary Craig - without whose generous assistance and tireless support we wouldn't have been able to achieve having Don be in such close proximity as to care for and enjoy our time with him as much as we possibly could and did, including being with him at the end. There are no words for the peace this provided us. A service of remembrance will be scheduled at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas in the coming months. We will be in touch with further details.