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Phyllis McNeil

Phyllis Cross McNeil, 95, died Saturday, June 18, 2011, at North Country Regional Hospital in Bemidji.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, July 18, at Presbyterian Church in Blackduck. Visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. in the church hall, with a fellowship following the service and burial.

She was born April 4, 1916, to Ella Zimmerman Cross and William Archibald Cross, in Blackduck. She had two brothers, William Alan Cross and Thomas Eliot Cross. She graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., and returned to Blackduck, where she married Henry McNeil February 24, 1943, while he was home on leave from the Army. She was employed by the Beltrami County Welfare Board as a social worker prior to her marriage, and returned to work in 1958, retiring in 1978, after 25 years. Following their retirements, the McNeils spent their summers at their island cabin on Rainy Lake, Canada.

She was a life-long, active member of the Presbyterian Church of Blackduck, serving on various committees, including Treasurer. Other activities included Tri Sigma Study Club, Blackduck Garden Club, various Scouting Clubs, Square Dance Group, and Marathon Bridge groups. Her hobbies included researching family and Blackduck history, and she completed three books on those subjects. She also enjoyed watching and feeding birds, reading, and spending time with her family.

She is survived by her children, Ellen (John) Chaplin, Ann (Michael) Finnegan, Henry (Donna) McNeil, William (Lois) McNeil, Phyllis (James) Dahm, Robert (Christi) McNeil, Nora McNeil (Barbara Trejo), and Bridget McNeil; 15 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Messages of condolence may be sent to ceasefuneralhome.com in Blackduck. Memorials preferred to the Presbyterian Church of Blackduck.

 

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