William Neely

William Carl Neely, Jr. of Oklahoma City died 22 June, 2010 at Bellevue Health and Rehabilitation Center in Oklahoma City. Born 20 October 1921 in Warren, Arkansas he was a 1940 graduate of Little Rock (Central) High School, Little Rock, Arkansas. After graduation he worked for the Arkansas Gazette and enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after Pearl Harbor. He served with the 2nd Defense Battalion on Palmyra Island, as well as participating in the battles of Saipan and Okinawa. Carl also participated in the occupation of Nagasaki, Japan prior to being discharged as a staff sergeant. After the war he began a 30-plus year career with Southwestern Bell Telephone (later AT&T) progressing from an installer to the position of Inventory and Costs Engineer for the state of Oklahoma. Carl’s assignments took him and his family throughout the state of Arkansas, to St. Louis Missouri, and finally to Oklahoma City where he retired in 1977. He is survived by his wife of almost 66 years Barbara Sadler Neely, and three sons: Lee (LtCol USMC Ret.) and his wife Bonnie of Stafford VA, Bob of Yukon, OK, and Tom and his wife Kayo of Oklahoma City. He has three grandchildren: Lindsey, Charles (Capt. USMC), and Douglas. He is also survived by his sister Mable Neely Chrismer and her husband Don, of Seabrook TX, as well as several nieces and nephews. Carl was preceded in death by his parents, William Carl Neely Senior and Ouita Berry Neely, sister Martha Neely of Warren, Arkansas and a brother William Berry Neely of Ft. Worth, TX.

Arrangements under the direction of Bill Merritt Funeral Service, Bethany, OK.