Neal Hail, age 77, of Frisco, Texas, passed away January 8, 2018. Neal was born April 29, 1940, in Hale Center, Texas, to Cecil B. and Ona Nadine (Davis) Hail. He graduated Midland High School (Midland, TX) in 1958 and proudly served in the United States Navy for four years.
Neal received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1963 and attended Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, TX. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
He married Leta Janelle Cox on August 28, 1965, in Lubbock, Texas. Neal and Janelle spent several decades ministering in churches and missions around the world through the Assemblies of God. In May 1977, Neal received a Doctor of Divinity from Indiana Christian University.
For over 30 years, Neal was also a successful businessman and entrepreneur. He worked as a homebuilder and land developer in West Texas, and later as a venture capitalist and business developer in Dallas.
Neal’s servant heart and combined experience in ministry and business fully equipped him for his final work.
In 1991, Neal and Janelle founded the National Breast Cancer Foundation with a mission to help women now by providing help and inspiring hope to those affected by breast cancer. Today, NBCF is one of the leading breast cancer charities in the world and has impacted the lives of millions of women in need.
Neal was a licensed pilot, outdoorsman, and he loved music, movies, and sports, especially the Texas Rangers and his beloved TCU Horned Frogs. He lived a life of ministry – from prison ministry in Huntsville, TX to helping lay the groundwork for the world-renowned Christian Broadcasting Network and the LeSEA Broadcasting Network. During his service in the Navy, Neal joined the Bob Hope Tour in the Armed Forces Radio & Television division.
If there’s one word that could define the life of Neal Hail, it would be servant. Faithful servant. In everything Neal did, he served others. He served our country bravely. He served the soul of America by proclaiming the truth of the gospel. He served countless women without insurance by providing free mammograms so that they had hope in the face of breast cancer. He served his friends and family with pride, strength, and a love that radiated. He gave everyone the best hugs. He served humanity because everyone he touched – a Fortune 500 CEO, a celebrity, or a waiter or cab driver – walked away with a little more light. Neal Hail loved people, and he served them with the unbounding strength and power of the living God.
If Neal was alive today, his hope and prayer would be that each person would feel empowered and free to pursue their life’s vision. He wanted everyone’s dreams to come true, and he believed the pursuit was the best part.
He is survived by his wife, Leta Janelle Hail of Frisco, Texas; sons, Brian Hail and wife, Stacey of Highland Park, Texas, Brent Hail of Dallas, Texas, and Kevin Hail and wife, Amanda of Frisco, Texas; grandchildren, Alexander, Savannah, Austin, Eliana, and Colin; and brothers, David Hail and wife, Beth of Rockwall, Texas and Don Hail and wife, Deborah of Lake Texoma, Cartwright, Oklahoma.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 Noon, on Friday, January 12, 2018, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Chapel in Allen, Texas. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen. The family will receive friends during a visitation from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday evening at the funeral home.