Charles Edward McNeillie, Jr., 65, of Columbiana, passed away Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at his home.
Christened by his Scotland born father and grandfather as another “wee Scottie” at his birth on June 28, 1944, in Midland, Penn., Charles was known as “Scott” for the rest of his life. Scott was the son of the late Charles and Irene Kwiatkofski McNeillie. He attended Virginia Military Institute where he graduated in Civil Engineering in 1966. He fulfilled his commitment to the armed services and to VMI by completing two years in the US Army. Scott was commissioned as a First Lieutenant and served, not one, but two tours in the Republic of Viet Nam from 1967-1969. Scott was a member of the lst Supply and Transport Battalion and the 9th Transportation Company. When asked why he signed up for another tour during the Tet Offensive, Scott replied, “Someone had to serve this country and I knew this country has been a salvation to my parents and grandparents who came through Ellis Island to immigrate from Scotland and Poland.”
When Scott returned to the US, he went to work for the Industrial Products division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Scott began his career as an engineer, eventually becoming Technical Manager of the South Georgia Region, selling and engineering hose and conveyor belt. In 1973 Scott was transferred to Birmingham to serve as Technical Manager of the Alabama, eastern Mississippi and Pan Handle of Florida. Known for his quick wit, as he traveled all the back roads and highways of Alabama, he supplied his Goodyear friends with a weekly “armadillo report” where he kept them updated on the migration of the armadillo east of the Mississippi River. He informed his friends that he knew the armadillos had safely made it to the Atlantic Ocean and promptly retired in 2005 to his beloved horse farm, Airy Chance Farm in the Four Mile Community. He owned and operated Alabama’s only harness and buggy shop and loved to show horse owners how to harness and drive their horses. He operated through www.buggyscott.com.
He was a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Montevallo. He was a member of the Caledonian Society and proudly wore the MacNeil Clan tartan as often as he could, so as to show “my gorgeous legs.”
Surviving are his wife, Mary Walker McNeillie; a daughter, Amanda McNeillie of Helena; a step-daughter Emily Mann McCollum (Michael) of Benton, Ky., and two step-sons Phillip Morgan Mann (Meredith) of Greenville and Charles Mann (Lauren) of Birmingham; and four grandchildren, George Mann, Virginia Mann, Mary Katherine McCollum and Sarah McCollum; his beloved girl cousins, Kimbrly Mershon (Bill) of Prattville, Kelly Peterson (Rocky) of Canton, Ga. and Paula Deiters (Michael) of Acworth, Ga.
Friends will be received Monday, Feb. 1, from 6-8 p.m. at Bolton Funeral Home in Columbiana. Funeral service will be Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. at Bolton Funeral Home, officiated by Father Ray Dunmyer and Dr. Don Wright. Burial will be with full honor guard at The National Cemetery in Montevallo at 2:45 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shelby County Humane Society, Columbiana, Ala.