- Date Of Birth: August 19, 1934
- Date Of Death: December 19, 2014
- State: Idaho
Neal DeWitt died Dec. 19, 2014 at his home in White Bird. He was 80 years old. He was born August 19, 1934 in Buhl, Idaho. He went to school there and then married Evelyn Wilson Atwood on Dec. 16, were married 59 years and 3 days. They had three children and lived in Buhl where Neal worked at a grain growers company. While he was there he and a friend designed and built a Post and Pole Peeler.
They moved to La Grande, Ore. up in the Mts. and lived in a tent for a couple of years where they cut post and poles and sold them in Nevada. They ended up selling the post and pole peeler and later a guy named Mobark used Neal’s ideas and patented it. Then they started their own Logging Company and did that for a few years until they moved to the Riggins, Id. area in 1971 and logged there for a few years and then moved to White Bird in 1985 and started the post and pole business again. They sold that in 1989 when his health started going bad. Over the next few years they designed and built 3 beautiful homes and the Swiftwater RV Park.
Many men said Neal was their best Boss ever. He taught all three of his kids the logging business and two of them still are logging. He taught his oldest grandson, Chad, to run a cat and a fork lift at age 12. He was very patient with teaching people how to work.
His best friend was his wife. Being with family was the best of times. He enjoyed the rivers and the camping where ever the family went and, of course, music. Always had to have the music playing or had Joaquin Lowe (son-in-law) or Charlie Weaver (friend) singing. They went to Arizona for 20 some years every winter with their 4 wheelers. He made it a point to enjoy life.
He is survived by his wife Evelyn, their son Marlin and step-daughters Verna (Joaquin) Lowe and Bev Wilson, 6 grand children and 9 greats, 3 sisters, Lyda Mills, Mickey Shank and Katherine Adams. Proceeded in death by his parents Charles and Christine, 2 brothers, Phillip and Bill, 2 sisters, Dolly and Ruth and a very dear friend Gerald Benson.
