William Henry Neal, Jr., an exemplary Christian gentleman known and loved as “Bill”, entered the Church Triumphant on January 17, 2026, after dying peacefully in his home at the Hermitage Richmond. He was born October 24, 1930, in Winston-Salem, N.C. to the late William Henry Neal and Jeannette Archer Neal, and was preceded in death by his son, James Strupe Neal (1976); his brother, James Archer Neal (2003); and his wife of 65 years, Mary Sue Strupe Neal (2018).
His family remembers Bill as a devoted and loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather, who traveled extensively (and played bridge obligingly) with Mary Sue, who went with his sons on nearly every Boy Scout camping trip, who taught anyone who would listen how to sail, to bait a crab trap, or to read maps and nautical charts, and who immediately welcomed new spouses-in-law as full members of the family.
Bill graduated from The McCallie School and Davidson College, then entered the U.S. Navy Reserve, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. After completing active duty, as the supply officer aboard USS POWER, he earned an MBA from The University of North Carolina. Bill then moved with his wife and infant son to Richmond, Va., and began a 40-year career in banking that included positions in correspondent banking, local and national commercial lending, international finance, and executive management.
A descendant of early Mecklenburg County settlers, Bill was proud to represent Revolutionary War Era Capt. Henry Neel, 1st Regiment, N.C. Continental Line, in the Society of the Cincinnati. He was active in Richmond civic affairs including, among others, board chair of the Greater Richmond Transit Company, president of the Richmond Community Reinvestment Corporation, and a Hixson Fellow of the Kiwanis Club of Richmond.
As important as career and public service were to Bill, his faith was even more important. At age 30 he was ordained an Elder in the Presbyterian Church and, for 23 of the next 46 years, Bill served on the sessions of Westminster and First Presbyterian Churches. At those churches and at the Presbytery level he served on a number of important committees and commissions, chairing many of them. He was a commissioner to the 2001 General Assembly and was the moderator of the Committee On General Assembly Operations.
In 2020, on Bill’s 90th birthday, First Presbyterian recognized his extraordinary service to God and God’s church by establishing, with the generous financial support of his many friends, the William Henry Neal, Jr. Endowment Fund for church officer training.
Bill is survived by his son, William Henry Neal III (Holley Bell), currently of Lynchburg, Va.; four grandchildren, Katharine Neal Connelly (Patrick), James Graham Neal (Allison), William Carter Neal (Stephanie), and Patrick Caldwell Neal (Whitney); and ten great-grandchildren, Joel, Sam, and Ben Connelly, and Lucy, Nora, Adalyn, Violet, Boyd, Maysie, and Mabel Neal.
A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at First Presbyterian Church with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall . Those wishing to make a contribution in Bill’s memory are asked to please consider a gift to First Presbyterian Church (memo: The William H. Neal Jr. Endowment Fund), 4602 Cary Street Rd., Richmond, Va. 23226.