Dwayne T. Neal Obituary (1960 - 2021)

Dwayne Thomas Neal, age 61, passed away on Tuesday, June 29th, 2021, at Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, NY after a brief and courageous battle with Melanoma cancer. Dwayne was born on January 20, 1960 in Ogdensburg, NY to Emerson and Rosemary Neal. He graduated from Honeoye Falls-Lima High School in Honeoye Falls, NY in 1978. He graduated from Clarkson College, Magna cum laude in 1982 with a degree in Industrial Distribution. He worked at IBM in Endicott and later worked at Lockheed Martin in Owego where he retired in 2010. After retirement he devoted his time to the arts and to nature. His home was surrounded by his many colorful and exotic plants in his endless gardens which he loved to share, by giving tours and sharing his knowledge and plants. He tried many different types of mediums in his artworks. As an artist, patron of the arts and avid gardener, Dwayne poured his heart and soul into his beloved community arts center, 171 Cedar Arts Center. There he exhibited his paintings and leaf castings, created the Rosemary Ann Neal Memorial Scholarship Fund, and has spent countless hours beautifying the gardens and grounds with his partner, Dan. Dwayne donated his cherished baby grand piano and has won volunteer of the year awards for the past three years. Dwayne is survived by his life partner, Daniel H. Paquette; his 3 sisters: Pamelia Neal of Ogdensburg, NY, Millie Donovan of Detroit, MI, and Hanna (Dennis) MacNaughtan of Ontario, Canada; his 3 brothers: Matthew (Rose) Neal of Mullica Hill, NJ, Ike (aka Emerson) Neal of Hong Kong, Todd Neal of Ogdensburg, NY; and his Uncle Tom (Idona) Jermano of Ogdensburg, NY as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Dwayne was predeceased by his parents. At Dwayne's request there will be no services. There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to 171 Cedar Arts Center, 171 Cedar Street, Corning, NY 14830, www.171cedararts.org. Dwayne's family entrusted his care to Haughey Funeral Home Inc.