Nathaniel N “Nate” McNeal

Nate, also known as “Mickey,” passed away on August 15, 2023. He was a native of Denton, Texas and a resident of Dallas, Texas at the time of his passing. Nate moved to Battle Creek, Michigan in his early years and lived in Michigan until returning to Texas in the 1980s. In 1972, Nate married the late Elnora Dian Cantrell and they had one daughter. Although the marriage didn’t last, they worked effortlessly together to raise their daughter. From 1968 to 2008, Nate worked for the phone company that eventually became AT&T.  He made many contributions to the phone company, including being responsible for figuring out how to get the number buttons to illuminate on the older phones, assisting with splitting the area codes in Dallas-Fort Worth, and he built and managed the Dallas 911 system. Nate has friends all over the globe, as he loved to travel and never met a stranger during his many traveling adventures. As a musician, he loved to listen to music, he really enjoyed jazz, and the Motown oldies. He would also spend several hours strumming one of his guitars while relaxing at home. He absolutely loved to dance and wouldn’t get off of the dance floor as long as there was music to dance to.  He could also be caught in the middle of a skate rink dancing on his skates.  Skating was one of his favorite hobbies. He was an avid golfer going around the country and playing in many tournaments and winning a few trophies along the way. He enjoyed working with his father as they worked together to create the Crab Opening Tool for which he owns a United States Patent. Nate was a member of a few different networks at AT&T--The Black Communicators, Hacemos and Pioneers.  He was a faithful volunteer for the AT&T Pioneers, and many of his friends and coworkers have stated that Nate would do anything that needed to get done for the networks that he belonged to. Survivors included his daughter Meka McNeal (Theron); brothers Adonis (Monica) McNeal and Desmond “Day Day” Madison and Timothy McNeal; sister Donna Hopkins; special uncle Albert Ridge; special cousins Regina “Peaches” (Michael) Williams, Greg (Yvette) Ridge and Geneva Kirby (Randy); and special uncle John Griffin (Ollie). He also leaves behind a very special and loving step-family: mom Helen McNeal; step-brother Reuben D. Jones III; step-sisters Toni (Nathaniel) Lee, Tarla M. Jones and Tamara D. Moore, and a host of other relatives and friends. Nate was preceded in death by his dad Samuel McNeal, Jr.; mom Rosa Mae Madison; brother Melvin McNeal; sister Angela Myshelle Madison-Watson; and step-sister Terri J. Bolen. Also preceding him in death were very special aunts and uncles. Follow the link below to view Nate’s full obituary.

Information from Sacred Funeral Home, Cedar Hill, Texas online on October 16, 2023

https://www.sacredfuneralhome.com/obituary/Nathaniel-McNeal