WILMINGTON, MA — William Ryder Neal, Ph.D., 80, of Wilmington, MA, and longtime resident of Bedford, MA, entered into eternal life on July 9, 2016 at home, surrounded in love by his family.
Born September 3, 1935 in Far Rockaway, NY, he was preceded in death by his parents Lt. Col. Noel A. Neal and Helen (McAdam) Neal; brother, Noel Neal, Jr.; and grandparents, Col. & Mrs. William McAdam.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 41 years, Suzanne M. (Kissell) Neal; loving daughter, Emily A. Irving and husband Michael also of Wilmington; grandchildren, Maddison R. and William T. Irving; sister, Angela M. Baumann and husband Peter of Simsbury, CT; niece, Rachel M. Baumann, and many other loving relatives.
Bill earned a B.S. in Physics from St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia in 1957. Through the co-op program at St. Joseph’s sponsored by RCA, he was involved in both the early development of the portable video camera as well as electronics research related to semiconductors and transistors that were to supersede the vacuum tube.
Upon earning his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT in 1964, he worked for the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science for four years. Although nuclear physics was his chosen field, Bill’s distinguished and diversified scientific career included applications in physics, optoelectronics, software development, biomedical and solar electronics and related fields. For nearly 60 years, Bill worked at Boston-area technology firms including Visidyne, Ion Physics, MITRE, Spire, and most recently, N2 Biomedical. He was a member of the IEEE and Sigma Pi Sigma and Sigma XI honor societies for physics and scientific research, respectively.
Bill was currently working on the development of a brain oximeter, a device that can measure oxygen levels in real time using diode lasers and detectors. This patentable technology has broad applications ranging from monitoring commercial long-haul drivers, characterizing concussions and Alzheimer’s research.
Bill Neal was often referred to by friends and colleagues as an intellectually brilliant yet modest man. While he held patents in x-ray and solar LED technology, he did not aspire to notoriety or accolades, and was happiest when immersed in hands-on research and experimentation. He was an academic at heart with lifelong passions for linguistics, classical music and engaging in intellectual “debates”. He took great pleasure in reading technical books, playing Spanish classical guitar and spending time with his grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held from the Dello Russo Family Funeral Home, 374 Main St., Wilmington, Friday, July 15th, at 11 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Ave, at 12 p.m. Services will conclude with burial at Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours at the Dello Russo Family Funeral Home will be held on Thursday from 4 thru 8 p.m. It has been requested that in lieu of flowers contributions may be made in Bill’s memory to the MIT Department of Physics c/o fund #2738023.
(NOTE: The above obituary is from Dello Russo Funeral Home.)
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