Captain Neal Albert Quinn, Jr., USN, Retired

Captain Quinn went to be with the Lord at the age of 79 on July 8, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents Storekeeper First Class Neal A. Quinn, Sr., USN, Ret. and Alice C. Quinn of MA, and a brother Dr. John S. Quinn of OH. He leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving wife of 56 years, Mary Kathleen Beckett Quinn, 4 children, Erin Kathleen Quinn and children Christopher, Amanda, and Brandon, Eileen Patricia Dunn (Scott) and children Michael, Katelyn, and Sean, Neal Albert Quinn, III (Margo) and children Lydia, Saul, and Levi, and Patrick Michael Quinn and step-son Kevin, and sister-in-law Patty Quinn. Great grandchildren are Shyloe, Myloe, Kyloe, Noah, Callie, Bentleigh, Aubrey, and Landon.

He was born in Lynn, MA on January 13, 1944. Because he was a Navy brat, he moved around quite a bit. He graduated from Radford High in Honolulu, HI in 1961. Upon graduating, his family moved to CA where he attended UCLA for a year, then was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in 1962. He graduated cum laude from the Academy and was commissioned in June 1966 as an Ensign; he remained at the Academy as an instructor until November 1966 to commence flight training at NAS Pensacola. He earned his wings in VT-21 at NAAS Kingsville, TX, in April 1968 and was assigned to VA-44 at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, FL. in July 1969, he attended Aviation Maintenance Officer's School, and in January 1970, he reported aboard the USS Saratoga (CVA 60) for duty as the IM-2 Division Officer in the AIMD where he saw duty with both the Sixth and Seventh Fleets.

Captain Quinn attended the Logistics Management course at AFIT, Air University, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and earned an MS degree in Logistics Management in 1973. He was then assigned to the Naval Air Technical Training Center, Memphis, TN, as the Training Officer and an instructor of the Quantitative Management School, Naval Management Schools Group, where he oversaw the conduct of the Data and the Maintenance Analysis Courses. He then returned to sea aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as the IM-1 Division Officer and made several cruises with the Sixth Fleet.

Captain Quinn had seen duty as AIMD Commanding Officer ashore at Barbers Point NAS, Hawaii from 1979-1982, and afloat aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) from 1982-1985, where he again saw service with both the Sixth and Seventh Fleets. While stationed in HI and also aboard the USS Vinson, he taught college math.

He was then assigned to NAVMASSO and assumed command 14 September 1987. Shortly after retirement from the Navy in September 1990, he went to work for Mulit-One in Chesapeake, Va as a computer programmer for several years, then went to work for Montifiore Medical Center, a teaching hospital in New York City in the Bronx.

During Captain Quinn's honorable and proud service to his country, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation with two bronze stars, 3 Meritorious Unit Commendation Awards, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 1 Bronze star, Legion of Merit, the Sea Service Deployment ribbon with two bronze stars, and the Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal.

He was a longtime resident of VA Beach after retiring from military service, and a member of Haygood UMC where he was known as "the computer guy". He loved the church's 1896 chapel with its unique architecture. He painstakingly restored the over 100 year-old original chapel organ for all to enjoy; that was a very proud and important accomplishment for him. At a very young age, he drove his mother crazy, disassembling anything he could get his hands on just to see how things worked. He could fix just about anything to include cars, computers, and anything and everything around the house. He was extremely proud of our family's Irish heritage, and he spoke of our many family members up in MA often. It's funny he wanted to go on cruises after so many Navy ones, but he went ahead and enjoyed several vacation cruises with his wife and family members. Our last big family reunion was for the lunar eclipse in Nashville, TN; he was so excited to have everyone together to experience his love of astronomy. His interests and hobbies included science fiction, assembling and disassembling computer mother boards in his man cave, HAM Radio, Morse code, woodworking, ballroom dancing, attending plays with friends, country music, listening to all of his ABBA records, and exploring the galaxy. He built his own telescope to show his family the constellations and planets, and each night he would head outside to check the moon and the constellations before going to bed. He absolutely loved kids, especially his grand and great -grandkids, who all called him Baba. He loved anything Star Trek, especially Spock, and that was actually his nickname. He always had a joke ready for you with a "tee-hee-hee" chuckle, which always made one laugh. The world lost a brilliant mind as he was literally a walking encyclopedia; you could ask him anything because he was a wealth of knowledge. He had such a big heart and helped everyone that needed it without reservation. He was a true upstanding gentleman with so many wonderful qualities, and he will be greatly missed by many.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, July 25, 5:00-7:00pm, at Rosewood-Kellum Funeral Home, 601 N Witchduck Rd, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462.

The celebration of life will take place at Haygood UMC on Wednesday, July 26, 11:00am, followed by the burial at Rosewood Memorial Park at 2:00 pm.

Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kellumfuneralhome.com for the Quinn family.