Elnora May Neal, 80, of Tryon, passed away February 15, 2025 in McCook, Nebraska with family by her side. She had courageously fought cancer for over two years, but it finally proved too much for her.
Elnora Waits was born November 20, 1944 to Lee and Darlene Tupper Waits in North Platte, Nebraska. Elnora spent all of her childhood years on the family ranch east of Tryon and graduated from McPherson County High School with the class of 1962. She attended Chadron State Teachers College and Kearney State College, where she received a Teaching Degree.
Elnora married Terry Neal, her high school sweetheart, on June 6, 1964. They lived in Kearney and Anchorage, Alaska before moving back to the Sandhills. They built a house east of Tryon on a corner of the family ranch and made their home there for over 40 years. In June 2024, due to health issues, they moved to McCook to be closer to family.
Elnora was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church in Tryon and played the piano for services there for decades and also taught adult Sunday School for many years. She was the go-to pianist for many, if not most, weddings and funerals in the community. Playing the piano was a lifelong love, second only to her love for her family. She was also very talented at knitting and quilting and over the years, many of her gifts for births, birthdays, and Christmases were handmade and thus very cherished. This past Christmas, even as her health declined, she hand-made gifts for each of her children, grandchildren, and siblings.
Elnora spent nearly all of her career teaching in one-room schools in McPherson County. She loved teaching as much as her mother did, and spent countless hours at home studying and creating lesson plans for her students.
She was preceded in death by her father, Lee; her mother, Darlene; her brother, Wayne; and a niece, Misty Smith-Luebbert.
Those left to mourn her and celebrate her life include her husband Terry (Terrence) of 60 years, sons Trevor (Rovilyn), and their children Andre, Rove, and Talisha, of Mission, SD; Craig (Angie), and their sons Creighton, Reese, and Charos, of Townsend, MT; and Tyler (Liz), and their daughters Addison and Alani of McCook; her siblings Vernon (Pauline) of Tryon; Errol of Omaha; and Leora (Collis) Smith of Lincoln. Two of her sons had blended families and she loved those grandchildren as much as those who were born into the family. She loved her daughters-in-law very much and considered them to be daughters she never had. She is also survived by a niece and three nephews and their families, many other family members, and countless friends.
Elnora will be remembered for her endless and unconditional love to her family and friends, students, church and community. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to McPherson County Schools for a teaching or music scholarship. Online condolences and livestream can be seen at www.adamsswanson.com.
Funeral services were held Thursday, February 20, 2025 at the Ringgold Free Church in Ringgold, NE with Pastors Sarah Crawford and John Parsons officiating. Burial was in the Miller Cemetery near Tryon. Services were entrusted to Adams & Swanson Funeral Home in North Platte.