Nickle Mortuary

Nickle Mortuary - Delta, Utah - (435)864-3412

Nickle Mortuary - Delta, Utah - (435)864-3412

Nickle Mortuary - A Legacy of Dedicated Service - Established 1931 - (435)864-3412

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Neal Walker Finlinson

Neal Walker Finlinson
Date of Birth:
June 4, 1942
Date Deceased:
December 15, 2024
Funeral Services
Location:
Leamington Cemetery
East Cemetery Lane (400 South)
Date and Time:
December 23, 2024
Monday: 1:00 PM

Viewing:

Sunday, December 22, 2024, 6:00 - 8:00 PM, at the Nickle Mortuary

Burial in the Leamington Cemetery

Recorded Service: Video Link

Neal Walker Finlinson

Neal Walker Finlinson, age 82, passed away peacefully after battling lung and liver cancer on December 15, 2024 at the Provo Rehab and Nursing facility. Neal was born on June 4, 1942 to William Walker and Rosabelle Jones Finlinson. He was the second child in a family of six. Neal being the oldest boy in the family was many times given responsibility to accomplish required farm chores during the absence of his father who worked on the railroad.  Neal grew up accustomed to hard work working closely with his father and many other area farmers. He developed many mechanical abilities that served him throughout his life.

Neal attended Delta High School where he excelled in academics and partying. Neal along with his other four horsemen from the Towns of Leamington and Lynndyl keep the local cops on their toes. He was always the most happy reminiscing about those rebellious times. College at Utah State University followed. He almost made it through 2 years on campus before being asked to leave because various pranks that he and some fellow students tried to pull off.

Departing Utah State was not all bad. He had met his future wife, Eileen Bell, who he was married to for over 30 years during which time they had 5 children. Neal started work for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) right after their marriage. He worked on survey teams that mapped out the routes to collect and bring water to the urban areas of Utah. After the BLM projects, Neal began a career with Turner Enterprises which provided a career path to his most successful accomplishments. He rose in the management ranks to become President of the Northern States and Canadian Operations. His leadership style developed in that position served him well later in life. After the government closed down Turner Enterprises, Neal worked in home remodeling and Coupon book sales until returning to the Delta area to scrap out old vehicles and farm machinery. When the price of scrap metal dropped to an all-time low, Neal went to work for the Union Pacific Railroad. He became a section gang foreman and in that capacity developed many lifelong friends.  Because of his desire to solve problems, the railroad tasked him to develop Quality Circles within various railroad divisions to recommend cost saving innovations for accomplishing railroad tasks. He traveled extensively visiting each of the Quality teams developing their recommended cost saving projects.  He was very successful in this endeavor. Later he became an assistant to Project Managers conducting safety briefings and accomplishing time keeping and other management tasks necessary to the successful completion of projects.

After retiring from the railroad, Neal put his skills together restoring old family cars and helping friends with their projects. He never quite got around to restoring all the old Cadillacs he collected but did get his mother’s 64 VW bug put back together. He loved participating in the Delta Car Show and even won a plaque one year. As his health declined, Les Keyte stepped in to help Neal accomplish many tasks. His friendship and that of longtime friend, Clark Mortensen, were instrumental in bringing happiness to his last few years. The family wishes to thank the many wonderful caregivers at the Provo Rehab and Nursing facility, the many nurses and doctors at the Utah Valley Hospital. He especially wants to thank his Oncologist, Dr. Esplin, Radiologist, Dr. Barney, and family doctor, Dr. Smith for their compassion and thoughtfulness in giving care and support these last few years. Additionally, the family wished to thank Robert Banks and all of the other home teachers who blessed Neal’s life and led him down the path to renewing church attendance and Temple endowments. Very special thanks to Russ Finlinson. He has truly been his brother's keeper!

Neal is proceeded in death by his parents, his son: Tom, and his daughter: Jolene. He is survived by his children: Todd, Doug, and Janae as well as all his siblings: Margene, Russ, Mary Jo, Rex, and Scott Lee.

Neal loved his cats and fed his three, plus all the strays that came to the house. In lieu of flowers, his family encourages a donation to The Humane Society of Utah.

Graveside services were held at the Leamington Cemetery on Monday, December 23, at 1:00 pm. A Viewing was held Sunday evening, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Nickle Mortuary. Those unable to attend are invited to view the recording of the service.

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