Ellen D. Neal, age 88, of Oliver Springs, passed away peacefully at her home on January 16, 2024. She was born on February 5, 1935, in Sneedville, Tennessee. Her family moved to this area in 1944 when she was 9. She loved get-togethers with family, exploring in the mountains, wildflower hunting, rail buggy riding, and campfires under the stars, especially on Windrock Mountain. Those moments under the stars were a reflection of the warmth and light she brought to the lives of those around her. May her enduring love and the flicker of those campfires forever illuminate our hearts.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years: Ernest Neal; parents: Harvey and Nola Wilder; sisters: Kate Thomas (David) and Rhonda Ekdahl; brother: Charles Wilder; brothers-in-law: Charles Francis, Kenneth Coffey, Eugene Burcham, and Glen Neal; and sisters-in-law: Bettye Patterson and Evelyn Hensley.

She is survived by her sons: Gary Neal (Jan), Steve Neal, and Scott Neal (Scott Bennett); daughter: Karen Neal (Charles Davis); granddaughter she raised: Tiffany Hutson (Zach); her loving grandchildren: Stacey Floyd (Tom), Sonya Neal, McKinley Neal, Steven Cary, David Neal, and Stephanie Neal; 10 great-grandchildren; sisters: Shirley Burcham, Ruth Francis, Dorothy Coffey, Judy Hicks (Hollis), and Fran Brummett (Alvin);  sisters-in-law: Jeanie Chamberlain and Novela Bunch; brothers-in-law: Carl Ekdahl, Wilburn Hensley, and Marvin Neal; and many nieces and nephews.

Ellen’s presence and caring nature will be deeply missed but forever remembered by those lives she touched. She leaves behind a legacy of love and warmth. May Ellen’s soul rest in peace, and may her memory bring comfort and strength to all who knew and loved her.

Ellen chose cremation with no services to be held.