Robert Scott Neill

Robert Scott Neill was born on August 28, 1953 at the Florence Nightingale Maternity Hospital at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas to Hugh Robert (Bob) Neill and Margaret Elizabeth (Beth) Neill.

Growing up, Scott was a jokester and loved to play pranks around the neighborhood. It was hard for him to get away with it, since his mother knew everyone in town. One time, Beth got a phone call from Scott's teacher: "Beth, did you allow Scott to bring that snake for show and tell?" No, he had picked it up under the bridge at the creek he crossed on the way to school.

He loved to tease his sisters, Shawna and Vicki. One of his favorite ruses was to hide in his room and jump out to startle them as they walked by his door. Scott loved summers at the local pool. As he walked with his sisters to the pool, people in town might have waved at him and thought, "What a sweet kid, hanging out with his younger sisters like that." What they didn't know was that he wasn't allowed to go swimming unless he walked his sisters to the pool.

In the late 1950s, the family moved to Springfield, Missouri, where Scott played baseball for the Baptist Angels team. Scott and one of his friends would mow a section of the field behind his house so kids could get together and play ball in the open space. Later, the owner of the field mowed the rest and made hay bales, which served as perfect cover for games of hide-and-seek and capture the flag. Scott was always at home on a basketball court. He would shoot hoops barefoot - with or without company, no matter the weather - but always barefoot. Scott loved playing sports, being outside, exploring the scene and taking long walks with friends.

On vacations, Scott was always ready to range free. In the mountains, while the family walked along the trail, he would run straight up the mountainside and call out, "Hey Mom and Dad, come up here!" When Beth and Bob didn't run and leap up the mountainside after him. Scott would eventually give up and rejoin the family. As everyone finally made it to that higher spot via the boring old trail, he would lament, "I've already been up here." On ski trips, he would take on the toughest routes while the rest of the family enjoyed the bunny slopes.

The family moved back to the Dallas area in the late 1960s.  Scott attended Plano High School, playing football for the Plano Wildcats. He worked at Uland Egg Farm and saved up to go to Tyler Junior College, where he studied drafting. He moved to Houston and worked for Brown & Root as a draftsman for a season. Then he decided to hit the road. In Tennessee, he joined a new family of friends working on concert tours for The Doobie Brothers. They affectionately called one another Crewbie Brothers. They didn't have much money, but they had each other, the Tennessee mountains, and the open road. They formed friendships that have lasted a lifetime.

After awhile, Scott left the touring gig and moved back to Plano, Texas. He joined the Roy Deskin construction crew and built family homes throughout the Dallas area. He loved listening to music and kept up with the local live scene. One day after work in the early 80s, Scott and his construction buddies visited Nick's Uptown club in Dallas. A young lady caught his eye, and he sauntered up to her and said, "Pretty mama, come and take me by the hand. Come and dance with your daddy all night long." Barbara was from Chicago and liked this southern guy's approach. Scott loved getting to know this girl who played guitar, sang and entertained crowds. They grew closer in the glow of the music.

Barbara saw a big heart in Scott. One day while she was working at Nick's, he walked in and said, "Come on - we're going to dinner!" They got into his truck, and he had a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken ready to go for a meal under the stars. She called him "the last of the big spenders." At midnight on a Thanksgiving when Barbara was working, Scott walked into the club with a big plate covered in aluminum foil, food from the Neill dinner table. He said, "I couldn't stand the thought of you not having Thanksgiving dinner." He would take Barbara's son Jon on walks and to concerts.

Scott and Barbara got married on March 14, 1985 at his parents' house in Plano. Family, friends and coworkers celebrated as they started their life together. Scott adopted Jon as his own son. Scott's son Daniel Patrick was born on August 20, 1986. Danny and Scott shared a love of sports - baseball, football, golf. Danny became a professional bowler in the PBA and continues to work in the bowling industry.

Over the years, Scott enjoyed working hard. He cooked barbecue sauce, salad dressings and mayonnaise for Kraft Foods in Garland, TX. He drove a forklift for Blockbuster Video. A bit later on, Scott helmed the double-reach forklift for Keurig Dr Pepper, where he helped distribute the Dr Pepper soda that he so enjoyed to the American public.

Scott was a fan of the Texas Longhorns, Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, and he was fond of taking artistic photographs and sketching designs. He always loved the outdoors and enjoyed taking trips to Colorado, Arkansas, Turner Falls of Oklahoma, and the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. He took his family on a few road trips to Florida to visit Barbara's parents and brother Pat in Florida. Scott and Pat would sit on a pier, talking for hours into the evening and taking in the ocean sunset. In the last years of his time on earth, he experienced the joy of true, genuine love from his grandchildren.

Scott is survived by his loving wife Barbara Neill; sons Danny Neill and his wife Kim, Jon Neill and his wife Ana Maria; grandchildren Bella Jade, Nolah June and Wyatt Jude Neill; sisters Shawna Neill and Vicki Pirkey and her husband David; niece Jennifer Pirkey Campbell and her husband Michael and their daughters Lily Lane and Cheyenne Jewel Campbell; his two cats Marilyn and Monroe. Scott is survived by numerous friends and family from many walks of life.

Hold Scott in your hearts, and take your memories of him along on your many jaunts. He was always happy for your company.

The family will receive friends for a visitation Friday, July 24, 2020 from 6:00-8:00 P.M. at Allen Family Funeral Options.  There will be a graveside service for Scott Monday, July 27, 2020 at 11:00 A.M. at Van Alstyne Cemetery, Van Alstyne, Texas.

Please dress casually. No suits needed: he won't be wearing one!