Tim and I were roommates at Homestead in 1966.  He and I would share the gas expenses on those many many trips up to Jackson Memorial to see Myra and Cathy.
Those were  the good ole days in Miami when we all would go out to 
Rickenbacker Causeway and watch the submarine races.  Sometimes Myra or Cathy would have to pay the .25 toll as Tim and I were broke after we paid for the gas.  Many wonderful memories of Tim and Cathy in Miami.  Hanging out at Crandon Park and Lums;  the memories go on and on....  

Tim took me fishing at Hallover and off Card Sound road.  We always caught fish and had a good time. I have thought of him often over the years as I was tying the hook on with that special fishing line knot he taught me.  I still use it 46 years later. later.     

We spent a lot of time together in Homestead and Miami.  Room mates, same rotating shift at work, breakfast lunch and dinner at the mess hall.

My heart goes out to Cathy and the kids.  I feel like I have lost a brother whenever I think of him and all the good times..   Joe Cone & Myra

I met Tim when he and some others came from Homestead Airforce Base for a dance at the Jackson Memorial School of Nursing dance with the Student Nurses. He was friendly and fun and a few of us would go off together as a group of friends. 
He and Cathy were a perfect pair from the very beginning. He was a devoted husband to Cathy and loved his family. 
My husband Phil and I saw them both a few years ago in North Carolina when they were looking for a place for their new 'dream' house. He was so excited about designing just the right home for Cathy!
Well, he did and his dreams came true. 
May his love for life stay with us all.
The Rev. Dee Ann deMontmollin,
Church of the Annunciation, Holmes Beach, Florda.

I first met Tim 34 years ago, when I started working at the Food and Drug Administration. We were in the same branch, and our labs were right down the hall from each other. Tim was kind, funny, and smart. He was a good scientist and a hard worker, but was never too busy to share his time and expertise with us newcomers.
Tim also knew how to enjoy life. When I think back on the fun times we had at FDA, Tim is always a part of those memories. He was good at getting the lab folks together, whether it was going out to lunch, having a picnic out on the mall, or organizing a Christmas party in the lab. And attending a scientific meeting with Tim was always a blast. The trip that stands out in my mind was an AOAC meeting in Phoenix in the early ‘90s. Tim, Kevin, Ben Canas, and I were all staying at the same resort. One of us had a rental car, so we took a trip to Tucson one afternoon/evening. We were stopped on the side of the road for some reason, when Tim spotted a roadrunner. Kevin jumped out of the car, camera in hand, and started chasing it down the road. Tim just cracked up. Years afterward, he still teased Kevin about trying to catch up with that roadrunner.

Over the years, Tim and I got to be good friends. If I needed someone to talk to, or if I just needed to vent, he was always there. When Tim retired in 2006, it left a huge void. But I was glad that he did it; he had a horrible commute, and I could see the toll it was taking on him. We managed to keep in touch through email, and he visited FDA a few times. Last year we lost contact for a while. His email address and phone number didn’t work. I found out later (thanks to Cathy, who found me on Facebook) that Tim and Cathy had up and moved to North Carolina! Tim came to visit Kevin and I a few days after Christmas, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon getting caught up. Tim was so excited about the new house he and Cathy were building. I don’t think I had ever seen him so happy. We talked about going to visit Tim and Cathy this summer, after Kevin and I retired. I thought we would all have plenty of time to get together; I never imagined that we wouldn’t get the opportunity.

Tim was a great guy and a good friend. I consider myself lucky to have known him. He was one of my favorite people, and the world will be a lonelier place without him.

I met Tim when I started at FDA about 20 years ago.  He immediately made me feel welcome. Tim was a very special person, a kind, decent caring man to the nth degree to anyone he was with.  He had a ready smile and was always thinking about others.  He wasn't shy about giving someone a hug when they needed it.  And even if they didn't know they needed it - he'd pass along a little of his love of life because he had so much to share.  I have special memories of Tim sharing career advice w/ me, the "new kid", words of wisdom when we went through reorganizations at FDA, and especially of Christmas party spin-offs in our old building, FOB-8.  

Whenever I saw Tim I'd think "the world is a better place because he's on it".  I'm sure he touched many many people.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Tim's friends and family at this difficult time.

I had the pleasure of working with Tim for several years at the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, DC.  He was a vital part of the Packaging Laboratory, and we had many fun and productive times together.  I was very sorry to hear of his passing, and I know he will be greatly missed.  My sincere condolences to Cathy and the family.

Tim was more than a boss and a mentor, he was an inspiration to me to become a better person and to reach for my dreams.  He will always hold a special place in my heart and his legend will live on as I tell my students stories about his crazy antics in the lab!

I remember visiting Cathy and Tim back in the day when they lived in Alexandria Va in a townhome.  Mark and I were visiting them.  I didn't really know my brother-in-law or sister-in-law.  They made me feel so welcome.  They introduced us to a word game using a dictionary, you picked a word and gave 3 meanings for the word.  (you could use the dictionary's or make up a meaning)  Others had to guess which definition was correct.  Tim was so good at bluffing with a meaning!  I fell for his made up meaning several times. We had so much fun laughing and learning the definitions.  
There are so many good memories of Tim, his laugh is the biggest.  His smile was so contagious.  Tim, I will miss you. I wish I had gone to see you and Cathy when you both invited me, how crazy life's twists and turns  I just know you are smiling down on your friends and family.  God Bless and keep you.

Its been at least 25 yrs we've known Tim. we met him when Cathy and I worked together at Potomac hospital.
I remember all the times we shared either at the Christmas dances, or our holloween parties. Even one year Tim didnt make it cuz he was lay  up with a broken leg in Potomac hospital, and everyone at the party went to the hospital at 10pm to show Tim our costumes.. It was a riot and he enjoyed every min of it. 
When I would call Cathy and he answered the phone, it felt like I was calling him cuz we would talk for the longest time before he would actually tell cathy I was calling.. and if she wasnt home, an even longer conversation.  I miss those times.
He was a sweet man full of life.. I really cant believe he has moved on. We will see him again, Im sure of that.
Im sure hes watching over his family, but having a wonderful time meeting up with his family who has past before him.  Thanks for being part of our lives.

Phil and I have known Tim since Cathy and I were in Nursing School at JMH in Miami. We will remember Tim's laugh, his spirit filled way of living, and his love of life. He dearly loved Cathy and his children. Let's keep Tim's memory alive by speaking his name often and remembering that we will be with him in eternal life.
'May the Angels surround him and God hold him in His loving embrace.'
Dee and Phil deMontmollin
Anna Maria, Florida

Tim was a good friend to my family. I always knew that if I needed help all I had to do was ask, he was there along with   Cathy to do whatever I needed.                                      I will miss his beautiful smile and his way of making me feel good about myself. He always had a compliment ready just when I needed it. He made all women feel special, no matter how old or young. He was a charmer!                                       Goodbye Tim .  You will be missed!

It has been a little over a week and my heart has a hole in it.  I want everyone to know the Tim that I knew and was married to for 42 years.  He was a humble, honest and hardworking man.  He was kind to all he met.  He was not only my husband but my best friend and care partner.  After I became disabled he took care of me.  He had always done the cooking because he preferred his to mine and I gave him full rein in the kitchen and he took it.  He didn't just cook but he cleaned and was a househusband as well.  He was a very unique husband and didn't mind washing, ironing and cleaning, nothing phased him he did it and did it well.  He was a loving and devoted father as well.  A dirty diaper or crying baby didn't phase him.  He spent many a night in the car driving with a baby that couldn't settle down but would fall asleep to the movement of the car.  There was always the rocking chair too, which he put to good use.  He was also a romantic and wasn't ashamed to cry at a sad or moving  movie.  Some of his favorites were An Officer and a Gentleman, 27 dresses, Dirty Dancing,The Wedding Singer and many others.  He also liked army wives on lifetime.  There was also movies like Pulp Fiction that he  likedand tv shows like True Blood  He was very diversified in his selection and the same was true of music.  I always considered Guantanamero as our song because he said it reminded him of Miami where we met and fell in love,but he said it was the song Cherish which came out when we were dating.I will miss everything about him, his laughter at something funny he heard and yes even his snoring, how I wish I could hear it one more timr.  I will also miss the fresh flowers he brought me every week and placed in the house.  He loved flowers, the outdoors, cooking, and gardening.  He spent more time taking care of everyone else he neglected himself.  He was also unique in that he took my mom into our home when she had Alzheimer's and took care of her for a year until his health became affected.  When we had to place her in a nursing home his caring didn't stop.  We went to see her but he didn't just visit my mom, he got to know all the residents, listening to their stories and holding their hands.  He joined the family council and also helped me with my art class.  The residents would ask him to show them how to draw a tree,it didn't matter that he didn't know how, he tried to help them anyway.  That is an idea of the special man I had the pleasure to know and love.  I was blessed to have met him   Tim you are dearly missed and loved

Both Mike and I were so sad to hear of Tim's passing.  Our heartfelt condolences go out to Cathy and Tommy.

Marcy & Mike Dinolfo, Fairfax, Virginia

Tim was a special person, I first met Tim at Homestead AFB after we both returned from Viet Nam. We where Army guys working on an Air Force Base for the Navy, go figure that one out.

We instantly where friends, I'm not sure how that happens, but with some guys you just "connect with" then from the get-go. Later in life we vacationed together at Virginia Beach for two summers with another family.  Now that was fun, fun, fun. Tim taught us to crab, although I never gained a real taste for the blue crab Tim loved so much.

As our families grew we both focused on them and "lost contact", but Tim and Cathy never left my memory. I often prayed for them and their family.

Time and come and gone for Tim on this earth, and so it is with us all eventually. I believe in a Holy God and His Son Jesus, and I believe my brother Tim there now abides.

Love you Tim, Cathy, and family.

Jim & Diana Rogers

Wanted Tommy, Shannon and Cathy to know that many of Tim's Texas Family will be sending donations(or have already)in Tim's name, to Cancer Research and/or The American Cancer Society.

Timbo was truly one of the most delightful people I ever knew ...
He was a Viet Nam comrade a good 
friend and a terrific human being .
Funy, smart , kind , loyal ..there 
will nevber be another one like him 
in this life .. His loss leaves the 
World a lesser place ...
Frank G Vandeberg and family

Cathy, I was so sorry to hear from Lorraine of Tim's death.  I know you and your children are hurt beyond belief.  I have been there. If you ever need to talk please don't hesitate to call.  I know we haven't seen each other since we sat at Chris' wedding, but I had a great time and Tim was a very nice guy.    Your cousin, Joyce   You can reach me at 757-710-0727, usually before 11 in the am or after 8 in thepm cause I work.  My thoughts are with you.

This is my second entry.  After having read my brother Mark's beautifully stated entry, I thought it appropriate to enter my "long version" as well.   


Where do I begin?  Tim is five years older than me, so my memories are of a big brother who was unattainable, for the most part, in my younger years.  I merely looked up to him, wishing I could go where he went, have the friends he had...and never understanding why he didn't care to have me tag along.  Don, Jr. was his best friend and worst enemy, it would seem.  They were inseparable but, also fought like cats and dogs at times.  I was jealous of them. 

Tim's main interaction with me, in those early years, was to tease me!  We used to have huge electrical storms in Arizona.  I was in third grade, at the time.  The lights would almost always "go out" during these storms.  Tim loved scaring me when it was dark in the house.  He'd come in my room with a flashlight under his chin, hauntingly illuminating his face.  I was quick to squeal and that egged him on all the more!  He thought it was great fun!  A few years later, we had moved to Germany.  Don, Jr. and Tim were very popular, as I recall.  I was awe struck by them!  They had black leather letter jackets with a Scorpion on the back.  Pretty impressive mascot!  Priscilla Presley was a member of Don, Jr's. graduating class.  Of course, at the time, we didn't know she would become famous.  She did get voted "Most Beautiful" in Don's Senior Year.  They were jocks...playing basketball and football...and girls were everywhere!  They had SO many girlfriends!  And their male friends, handsome & full of themselves, were a source of constant day dreams for this little girl.  I was a very impressionable 5th, 6th, & 7th grader when we lived there.  Don, Jr. was the strong, tall, dark and handsome, silent type.  Timmy, on the other hand, was full of mischief and giggles.  He always had a sparkle in his eyes and a hint of "I'm up to no good" flirting there in them.  As you can imagine, both Don's brooding and Tim's devil may care ways were forces to be reckoned with!  The girls didn't stand a chance!  And our poor Mother stayed very busy keeping them in line!

My brother Tim was also VERY accident prone!  Mom & Dad told stories of his antics when just a baby.  Bottles were made of glass in the old days.  And Timmy would break them in his crib!  Mom would come in and find him cutting up his mattresses!  She couldn't believe he never cut himself!  They also had to tie the refrigerator door shut with a rope, because Toddler Timmy would help himself to the butter when no one was looking.  He would climb up INSIDE the fridge and sit there eating it!  Needless to say, they were terribly concerned that he would accidentally shut the door on himself and suffocate!  While living in Arizona, he went after a fly ball in a baseball game and fell backwards over a fire hydrant.  He wore a cast for a spell and had to have water drained off that knee a few times.  In Germany, once again retrieving a ball, he ran face first into a metal clothesline pole and broke his nose!  Again...our poor Mother!!

Mom was no stranger to corporal punishment.  She would find a belt or a wooden spoon and use it when she felt it necessary.  She was very small in stature and I'm sure she felt it necessary to give her the upper hand!  Most of the time, the weapon of choice had only to show up on the scene to snap us into compliance!   I remember when Tim got physically too big for her to effectively pop him!  He would give her a good stiff arm to the forehead and she was helpless to reach him.  Please know that there was no "abuse" in our family...and Tim was just having fun with her.  We all got a kick out of this display!

Timmy loved music!  When we lived in Virginia,  (after returning from Germany) I remember he especially loved the Beach Boys.  He would play their albums constantly.  He worked for a spell at the Ocean View Amusement Park.  I don't know in what capacity...but, he could ride all those rides.  I envied him that, because they just made me sick at my stomach!  We didn't have much interaction in those years.  He was able to drive and work...we were in different worlds, outside of our home.  And he was (mostly) never there.  Don & Tim had left all their albums at Mom & Dad's when they went off to join the Armed Services.  We were going to Florida (with Mom & Dad) to visit Timmy and Cathy.  I had just graduated from High School.  Tim had requested that we bring the albums with us.  It was my job to gather up the ones that belonged to Tim.  That wasn't a difficult job...most of them were Beach Boys albums!  I decided he would never miss "one"...and I purposefully left one in Texas.  I'll be darned if that smuck didn't realize it was missing!  I admitted to my foiled plan and he charged me $4.00 to keep it, or send it back after we returned!  Pooty-head!!

As the years went by, we saw less and less of one another, but our relationship ironically grew!  His visits to see family were filled with more meaningful conversation and I was finally getting to know the "man" my brother was, verses the "brother" he had been.  I found I truly "liked" him.  I had always "loved" him, but I was thrilled to finally "like" him!  I was no longer that little sister that he could tease and make feel "less than"...I was his peer, FINALLY!  I had become someone (I think) he admired and enjoyed having around.  It was a great feeling to finally "know him" like that, and feel truly connected.  If only he and Cathy had lived closer. 

I am so grateful that we made that connection prior to his passing.  It has made the loss harder to take, but I can handle that.  It would have been worse to lose him and feel that we had never become friends.  He was more than my brother...he was my friend.  What a valuable gift!

My deepest sympathies to Cathy, Shannon, and Tommy. I am thinking about all of you, and so glad I had the chance to see Tim a year ago. My heart aches for you.

Cathy, I am saddened to learn of Tim's passing.  Wish I were closer to give you a hug, my friend.  God be with you and your family.

I was so sorry to be looking at the newspaper and see Tim's handsome face smiling up at me from the Obit section.  He was such a kind, gallant and helpful man, and I know your heart must be extremely heavy, Cathy.  I will  pray for you both.

Cathy, Jean and i are so sorry to hear of Tim's passing. We didn't know him long but we felt a genuine friendship with the both of you. We will treasure the memory of our visit together last year. One thing i can tell you is that love never dies. Take the love you have for Tim and carry it with you always and a part of him will always be with you. We pray for you and the kids . May Tim walk forever in the presence of God.

As I view the photo album I am reminded of those years when I was growing up and Tim was my big brother.  Of course, I looked up to Tim, and Don, our eldest brother.  And why not, Tim did all those things that a boy would want his big brother to do.  He lettered in all the high school sports, he was a Casanova with the girls, he defended me from bullies, and he took the time to talk to his little brother and help me make my way through my young life.

My fondest memories are of our years in Arizona and then Germany.  Tim had a paper route in Ft. Huachuca and had big stories about seeing mountain lions while making his morning deliveries.  I remember the time he was playing baseball in a vacant lot and ran into a fire hydrant while trying his best to catch a wild fly ball.  Mom nearly fainted when she saw his knee cut and bleeding.  You know, Tim was a little accident-prone.  And in Germany, I remember seeing all the pretty girls that Don and Tim dated, all the dancing, the music, the fun at the AYA, watching them play baseball, their class trip to Austria and the trouble that some of them got into, and all of his friends, some of them remaining friends to this day.  Tim never had trouble making friends.  These were great times for all of us.

And when Tim introduced us to Cathy, I first thought – wow, what a beauty, and a nurse!  As a little brother I thought that Tim had hit the jackpot with Cathy, and he did.  Catchy told me how he had flirted with her until she gave in and agreed to a date.  While in Florida, Cathy worked and Tim hit the books and finished his college education becoming the first in our family to do this.  And a chemist!  And they made beautiful children, first Shannon and then Tommy.  They were a picture-perfect family.  And Tim and Cathy honored me by naming me as Shannon’s Godfather.  I was a terrible God-parent but despite this Shannon and Tommy grew into two very bright and successful children.  Tim told me many times how very proud he is of both of them.  And do you see a little of Tim’s big smile in their faces?

Just as surely as we know that the earth will turn and tomorrow will come again, as time passes we will continue to lose beloved friends and loved ones.  All of us have been touched by this.  But as often as this happens it does not make it any easier for us, the survivors, especially when one is so precious to us, so young, and still so full of hopes and dreams.  With the daily grind of life we forget how wonderful life itself is, only to be reminded harshly when we lose someone so close.  Tim was a perfect big brother, a husband and father who, like everyone else, tried his best and did very well. He was a soldier who was unafraid and willing to serve his country even when it was not so popular to do so.  He was an accomplished professional chemist and faithful servant to our government.  And I know he was also a good friend and acquaintance to many.

As we honor Tim today, we recall the good times, the many friends, the love, the caring, and the giving.  Tim embodied all of these things.  I am so proud of by big brother. I only regret that I didn’t tell him this so much while Tim was with us.  Among his many legacies, let Tim also remind us that life is precious and can be cut short unexpectedly.  So let us always remember to respect and be kind to one another and live a life that you can look back upon proudly.  God bless you, Tim.  I love you and miss you already.

I met Tim and Cathy just a few years ago at Birmingham Green Nursing Home.  Both of them were a special part of forming the family council there and starting several activities for rsidents.  They were missed when they moved to N.C. and now Tim will be missed even more.  God give strength to Cathy and her family and peace to Tim.  May his memory be eternal.

I am stunned and saddened inconsolably at our loss and my only comfort are the words of the Little Prince:  "In one of the stars I shall be living, In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night."

I miss you terribly and you have only been gone a few days, You are my friend, partner, and hero forever and always  with all my love  your loving wife Cathy

Tim and Cathy were our neighbors and good friends in Woodbridge from 2008 until they moved to N. C. in 2010.  It is with great sorrow that we now have to say a final farewell to Tim, a very special and dear friend.  We grieve with Cathy, Shannon, and Tommy in their loss which is also ours.  

Cate Partain & Bob O'Connor
Woodbridge, Virginia

I love and miss you with all my heart.  you were my friend, my partner my care giver and my hero

I sit here looking upon the image of my precious brother, Tim, and am in disbelief.  How can it be that he is gone?  My heart aches, but such is life.  We have no guarantees.  I don't own the words to adequately express my feelings, so I will end this by simply saying, I will always love you Bubba...you have forever touched my life...and I will keep your memory alive by sharing our stories until my time here is over.

OBITUARY

Timothy Tim P. McNeal

April 18, 1946 – May 31, 2011

Arlington Funeral Home

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