Obituary of Mervyn Dean Neil

Please click here to view the recorded Memorial Service

It is with deep sadness that the family of Mervyn Dean Neil of Regina, announce his passing on Monday, March 23, 2020 at the age of 84 years. Merv was predeceased by his parents, Morley and Edith Neil (Millar) of Edmonton.

Merv is survived by his loving and supportive wife Adele; his daughter Brenna Neil (Vancouver); his step-children, Dr. Tricia Teneycke (Jason Moran) of Seattle, Jay Teneycke of Regina, Quinn Hoffman (Dr. Dan) as well as granddaughters, Harper and Laikyn of Regina.

Our family would like to especially thank all our friends who have supported Merv through his journey, the Gateway Church family, as well as the staff of the William Booth Day Program which Merv loved attending.
In addition, we gratefully thank each staff member of the Pasqua Hospital ER, Unit 4A and Palliative Care who compassionately cared for him until he drew his last breath.

Merv was a successful, self-made, small business owner who liked to do things his way; and he did. He approached life in the same manner. However, with his new perspective on life, resulting from his faith in Jesus, the direction of his life took a dramatic turn.

He began to attend church and enjoyed serving and extending kindness to people in various ways. He made Gateway a core component of his life. To say that he loved Gateway, along with Pastors Brian, Barb, Rebekah and Jordan would be an understatement. Through their example and love, his outlook on life and changed and his generous and kind “servant spirit” began to immerge. As did his love for the Lord, Adele, and their family.

For more than 15 years, Merv was part of a ministry called Prison Fellowship. He and the team brought hope, encouragement, along with God’s love, to the inmates at the Regina Correctional Centre.
Merv had also been very active with the Sundown Optimist Club, actively leading and fund raising for a variety of community initiatives.

Daily, Merv liked to be “on the move” and loved driving. This made him the perfect candidate for a number of volunteer opportunities within the community. One was with the Canadian Cancer Society. He was a volunteer driver transporting individual to and from the Allan Blair Clinic. Another was collecting food donations from businesses around the city for the Souls Harbour Soup Kitchen. He also loved going to the grocery store and buying food and supplies for Gateway Church (as many of us know Merv was a bit of a deal hound, and loved bargain hunting).

Anyone who spent any amount of time at our house knows how much Merv loved his junk food...he absolutely loved Pepsi, with lots and lots of ice to crunch on. Merv’s sweet tooth didn’t end there, for there were always bags of cookies, chocolate bars and salty snacks at arm’s reach...literally.
As he and Adele travelled more and more, by far his favorite pastime was to meticulously studying maps and planning routes for their next adventure. Whether touring Morocco, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and the American southwest, Merv loved planning for, and going on vacations. He endlessly shared tidbits of trivia on past visits with anyone in earshot.

Aside from travel, anyone who knew Merv, knew that he loved to talk about two things, movies and American politics. He often proudly declaring, with a mischievous intent, “I’m a Trumper” to get a rise out of whoever was in ear shot.

Merv also loved to watch, talk and dream about movies, particularly old westerns and his movie hero, Clint Eastwood. He loved his movie watching buddies, Mark and Jordan.

Merv loved spending time with his friends and family but took particular joy when he was able to spend time with his daughter, Brenna. As the granddaughters arrived, he proudly took on the role of Papa Merv, reading stories and playing with Harper and Laikyn.

Due to current public-health recommendations a private family service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish are welcome to make a donation to either William Booth Special Care Home or Gateway Church.