Herman Neal McGill

Herman Neal McGill, age 92, of Temple died Monday, September 28, 2009 in a local nursing home. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 2, at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple with Dr. Martin Knox of First Baptist Church officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Bellwood Memorial Park. Herman was born on December 18, 1916 in Whitehouse, Texas, the son of Thomas and Ethel McGill. He married his loving wife of 70 years, Irene Griffin, on May 28, 1939 in Bryan, Texas. Herman graduated from Whitehouse High School in 1932 and from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering in 1939. He began work for the Soil Conservation Service in 1939 as a hydrologic engineer. His 47 years of service for SCS were interrupted by a 3-year stint in the U.S. Navy. As a 2nd Lieutenant, he served as a deck and agricultural officer in Guam during WWII. As a hydrologist, he had numerous publications in the form of technical papers. He developed methods and procedures adapted for field use. He was honored as Engineer of the Year for the State of Texas in 1978 and received multiple recognitions in his field. He was a member of ASAE and SCSA. After retirement he continued to work for several years as a private engineering consultant in the water resource field. Herman was a member of First Baptist Church, Temple, for 48 years. He was active in Joy Singers, LLL, and director of the Adult IV Sunday School Department. Herman loved to travel. He was an avid photographer of gardens and Texas courthouses. He always enjoyed sharing his slides with various groups. He enjoyed working in his garden and always had a beautiful yard filled with flowers. He was very proud to be a Texas Aggie. He most loved time spent with his family. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Herman was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Ethel McGill of Whitehouse; daughter, Peggy Bradfield of Sugar Land; sons-in-law, Carroll Eggleston of Odessa and Joe Marinik of Temple; brothers, Conley McGill of Port Arthur, Layman McGill of Whitehouse, and Roy McGill of McKinney; sisters Vitura Chandler of Shreveport, La., and Hortense Noble of Tyler. He is survived by his wife, Irene McGill of Temple; sisters, Mary Robinson of Garland, Ruby Hamilton and husband, Buck of Tyler; daughters, Joan Eggleston of Andrews, Linda Ellison and husband, Bob, of Katy and Janet Marinik of Temple; son, Robert McGill and wife, Carol, of Orange; son-in-law, Vince Lapetino, of Sugar Land; ten grandchildren Steve Eggleston, Karen Bryant, Courtney Taylor, Allen McGill, Geoffrey Bradfield, Jennifer Ellison, Amanda Mariano, Brian Ellison, Christi Wilson, and Adam Marinik; 11 great grandchildren and one on the way; numerous nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be grandsons, Steve Eggleston, Allen McGill, Brian Ellison, Adam Marinik, John Mariano, and nephew, Bill McPherson. Honorary pallbearers are members of SCS Retirees. A family visitation will be held from 5 - 6 PM Thursday, October 1, 2009 at the Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple. Memorials may be made to LLL or Joy Singers of First Baptist Church Temple. The family wishes to thank the staff of William R. Courtney Texas State Veteran's Home for their kindness and care.