Passed away on Thursday, August 12, 2021. Neal graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee with a degree in history, and was employed at Allegheny Intermediate Unit, the Vintage Senior Center, and the former St. Francis Medical Center. Neal was a lifelong student of Zen Buddhism who became certified as a Zen chaplain to serve the dying and their families, established a nonprofit organization to train hospice volunteers, and was a consultant to local hospices. Neal was also one of the founding members of Still Point, a Soto Zen community established in 1990 in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, where they still host regular Zen meditation and Zen events and classes. Later on, he established Future Design Studio, a life and career coach consultancy that he practiced for more than ten years. Neal studied Zen with noted teachers, Dainin Katagiri, Shohaku Okumura, Janet Jiryu Abels and most recently with abbot Kotoku Crivello, of the Zen Center of Pittsburgh, Deep Spring Temple. Those wishing to make a charitable donation in his memory may send their contributions to: The Zen Center of Pittsburgh, Deep Spring Temple (deepspringzen.org) or Animal Advocates (animaladvocates.net). A memorial service is planned for later this year or early next year. You may indicate your interest in attending Neal's memorial service by sending an email grieblingmemorial@gmail.com.
Henry Hartnek
I'm so sorry to hear of another classmates' passing. My sincere condolences to his family. I remember Neal from Senior choir at Bradford and we sang barber shop quartet together. Rest in Peace my friend.
Charles Limpert
A good person. We played a lot of tennis together. My sympathy.
Kenneth Unwin
Sorry to hear of Neal's Passing! I also sang in a quartet with him. He was a busy guy. Very soft-spoken guy, but always fun to be with. Ken Unwin
Nicolina Evans (Neau)
Sorry to hear about Neal's passing. He was one of my favorite people in school. He emanated such a manner that made him easy to be around. I even considered naming my first son after him.
Sheryl LaFayette
I remember Neal from elementary school. My sympathy goes out to his family and friends.
Sheryl LaFayette
Thomas Sorensen
I became acquainted with Neal, though I knew who he was before, when were 17. We spent a fair amount of time together til 21, and thereafter did stay in contact til about 2020. Neal was dedicated to his study of Zen Buddhism, it was the most important aspect of his life. I know he studied both Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen, which in my view were more psychology than religion. Though we lived on opposite coasts we had similar psychology training in that we both studied with the same teacher for awhile . Neal was very active in developing hospice experiences for the indigent that mirrored his own contemplative experiences of simplicity and quieting the mind. I am sure he was very good at what he dedicated himself to.
Neal did try to teach me tennis, he had his own teaching style, and his good friend Jim Mills was also teaching me tennis. I did develop a life long love affair with tennis, I still play regularly. Neal also enjoyed martial arts but would seldom speak of it; in his thinking martial arts was part of a pure psychology discipline. As has been referenced he had a love for singing and had a very disciplined yet creative voice. Neal stayed close to his equally musical sister throughout his life, her nickname was the American soprano, personally and professionally. Neal and I also had a common interest in the personal coaching profession and when Neal taught at west coast conferences I would send patients to his seminars, he was very good at everything he did. It is fortunate to have such fond memories of a special man.
Thomas Geary
Neal and I were close friends in high school, and while our friendship was multifaceted, I will focus my comments here on our participation in and love of music. Our musical interests became apparent to each other at Lincoln Junior High School and carried over through our years at Bradford and beyond. We shared a particular affinity for small group and ensemble close harmony like The Hi-Lo's, Swingle Singers, and various barbershop quartets, ranging from jazz to classical. Neal and I would spend many hours at the piano in each of our parents' homes transcribing and arranging music from recordings we managed to get our hands on. Often, we received expert help from Neal's enormously talented sister, Lynn, whose musical biography is exemplary.
In addition to A Cappella Choir at Bradford, we were active in barbershop quartet singing, both recreationally and competitively. Together with Ken Unwin and Jeff Stanich, we sang locally and traveled to various competitions and performance venues throughout Wisconsin.
We both enjoyed modest success in high school athletics, although Neal's specialty, tennis, better lent itself to socialization than did mine and so we often found ourselves at the courts in Lincoln Park. I'll conclude with an anecdote that Neal used to recall. The tennis team was loaded into the coach's station wagon and prevented the coach from seeing behind him. He thus asked the rear-most riders to look out for cars while he backed up -- right into a pole. "No cars, coach," one of the players called out. Probably Neal.
Brian Juga