James "J.D." McNeal

Home going services for Rev. James Daniel “J.D.” McNeal, will be held on Wednesday, January 07, 2015, at 10:00 am, at Fountain of Life United Pentecostal Church in Natchitoches, LA with Reverend’s Dennis Bjornberg, Kevin Cox, Clifton Walea, Matthew Pagels, and Sen. Gerald Long officiating. Interment will follow at Hickory Grove Cemetery in Robeline, LA. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, January 06, 2015 from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm at Fountain of Life. There will be a special remembrance service at 7:00 pm during the visitation, that the family invites all of Rev. J.D.’s friends to have a short (He was never fond of long winded messages) thought or story to share. Bro. J.D., as he was known, was born on August 30, 1924 to William Starling McNeal and Maggie Savannah Bryant McNeal, and passed away at 90 years of age on Saturday, January 03, 2015. J.D. was a giant to his family. If you could sum up his life in a sentence, it would simply be: Soldier, preacher, barber, comic, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Words simply cannot be used to fully capture this amazing person. He answered the calling to serve his country in the Army during WWII, where he fought in the second wave of the Normandy invasion, as well as fighting in the Battle of the Buldge, and attributes his survival to a loving God and a praying mother. He answered the call to preach and dedicated the rest of his life to serving that loving God with his ministry to others. He was a wonderful father, always striving and working as a barber as well as a pastor, to provide for his wife and children, whom which he never let go without. His comedic style will always stand out in the minds of those who have met him, and his loving kindness is remembered by all. He took the place of pastor in many people’s lives, leading and guiding them to the wonderful truth of Christ, and in his later years, he settled at New Life United Pentecostal Church in Natchitoches, LA as an assistant minister and faithful member. He was a humble man, never counting himself as great, and never truly knowing what he meant to the people around him. A huge void has been left as the patriarch of his family has gone on; but it is bitter sweet, as 90 years of life cannot begin to compare to what lies in wait at Heavens gates. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Starling McNeal and Maggie Savannah Bryant McNeal; three brothers, Haron, Herman, and Groves McNeal. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Juanita Frances Tate McNeal of Natchitoches, LA; his three children, Patricia Dianne McNeal Weeks and her husband Billy, Emily Elaine McNeal Sparks and husband John, and Jerry Allen McNeal and wife Catherine, all of Natchitoches, LA; his sister, Mary “Dossie” Harralson of Morgan City, LA; six grandchildren, Jennifer Sparks and her fiancé Shannon Dyess, Molly Sparks, Katie Sparks Lindsey and husband Man, Jason Edwards and wife Amy, Leah Weeks Pagels and husband Matthew, and Rachel McNeal Jordan and husband Jerry; seven great grandchildren, Hannah Boswell, Haleigh Boswell, Caden Edwards, Kidron Pagels, Keith Jordan, Cara Jordan, and Khloe Crochet; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Those honored to be pallbearers will be Man Lindsey, John Sparks, Billy Weeks, Jason Edwards, Shannon Dyess, Jerry Jordan, Kendall Perkins, Brian Hester, and Dr. James Arceneaux. Honorary pallbearers will be Gilbert Jordan, James Stringer, Roy Watley, Wendall Wellman, Robert McGaha, Ralph Dowden, D.D. Lee, and Mike Edwards. The family asks that any charitable contributions be made to the New Life U.P.C. building fund.