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Orville Thomas Neal
Orville Thomas Neal

Obituary: Orville Thomas Neal

Orville Thomas Neal died Oct. 25, 2024, in Boulder City, Nevada, at the age of 90. Neal is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jacqueline Sue (Moyer) Neal, their three children, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his father, Orville Thomas Neal, Sr., his mother, Helen Allyn Neal, and his younger brother, Robert Allen Neal.

Neal was born on June 24, 1934, in Columbus, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University from 1952 to 1956, where he lettered in baseball all four years and graduated with a degree in business administration. After college, he married Rebecca Lee Croxton in 1956 and had three children over the next five years. The two later divorced in 1970.

In 1957, he joined General Electric as a lighting instructor and large lamp salesman in its lamp division. After leaving GE in 1962, he signed on with Omaha, Nebraska-based Lozier Store Fixtures, where he held the position of national account executive.

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Neal met his second wife, Jackie, in 1971 while on a flight to Florida, where she was a stewardess. They were married in March 1972 and celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary in 2024.

In 1975, he moved his family to Southern California where he helped found Watkins Manufacturing, makers of Hot Spring Spas, in 1977. Neal is regarded as the “father of the portable spa industry” by many and is well-known for bringing portable hot tubs to the public.