Robert Harold Neill
February 9, 1930 ~ March 17, 2023 (age 93)
Obituary
Robert Harold Neill set sail on the unknown sea of the afterlife on Friday, March 17, 2023. He was born on Sunday, February 9, 1930, in Passaic, New Jersey, to Rosemary and William Neill and considered himself to be a lifelong "Jersey Boy." Bob delighted in saying he began his education at a one-room schoolhouse in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, at the River Road School. (It is a museum today known as the Little Red Schoolhouse.) After graduating from Lyndhurst High School, he attended Stevens Institute of Technology. He graduated in 1951 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Soon after, he began his career with Foster Wheeler in New York City, designing boilers for oceangoing vessels. In 1957, to fulfill his military service, he joined the United States Public Health Service as a commissioned officer, where he discovered his passion for protecting the public from radiation. In 1959 he attended Harvard and earned a master's degree in public health. In 1978 he formed the Environmental Evaluation Group for the State of New Mexico to provide an independent review of the WIPP project in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Upon his retirement, the Regents of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, administrator for the Environmental Evaluation Group, appointed him Director Emeritus. Bob was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Bill; and beloved nephew Bob, who was named for him. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Townley; daughter, Helen; grandson, Robert, and many nieces, nephews, and friends In accordance with his wishes, Bob has been cremated and his ashes will be scattered. There will be no service, but at some future dates, there will be small celebrations of his life.
Bob loved sailing, skiing, tennis, and enjoying life. He believed that small acts of kindness make the world a better place. So, for anyone who wishes to remember or honor Bob, doing this would be perfect.
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