Obituary of Phillip McNeal

Philip Webster McNeal, beloved husband, father, son and friend, was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 6, 1953. The only child of the late Senator Theodore McNeal and his wife Virgie, Philip was named after American labor movement giants A. Philip Randolph and Milton Webster. The elder McNeal worked with both men to organize the International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the most prominent predominantly black labor union of its day. Philip greatly admired his father; Missouri's first African American state senator. Always fascinated by how things worked, Philip received his BS degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Missouri, Rolla, in 1976. He began his career at Exxon Mobil as a project engineer and offshore oil and gas platform analyst. Philip leveraged his energy patch experience into an investment banking role at J.P. Morgan in New York, advising clients around the world, first as a Natural Resource banker. Most recently, Philip was a Managing Director and Senior Private Banker. Clients appreciated his intellect and financial wisdom as much as they did his commitment and wit. The firm commemorated Philip's 30-year career with a bound volume of tributes from his colleagues, one of whom wrote: "You are an inspiration for so many of us. You have accomplished so much at J.P. Morgan with grace and courage." Philip's career was important to him, but his family was his life. Philip and Glenda delighted in all things related to Sydney and Carter. He gamely shared his passions for St. Barth's, boating, and Long Beach Island with them. He was also active in his community, serving as a longtime board chair of the Montclair Human Needs Food Pantry, trustee of Newark Academy, and former trustee of Montclair Kimberley Academy. In January of this year, Philip was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His determined battle with this devastating disease was marked by the same integrity, clarity, and steadiness of spirit he embodied in his work and personal life. Despite his optimism and bravery, Philip passed away at home, surrounded by those he loved on May 27, the eve of his and Glenda's 25th wedding anniversary. Philip was an extraordinary man -- brilliant, funny, supremely loyal, and unfailingly true to his own values and ideals. Absolutely clear about who he was, what he wanted, and where he wanted to go in life, he embodied William Shakespeare's famous words, "To thine own self be true." Thoughtful and generous to his core, Philip would want the battle against pancreatic cancer to continue in the form of funding research so that others might be spared what he endured. Thus, a fund has been established in his honor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR?pxfid=38290&pg=fund&fr_id=1580). He is survived by Glenda, Sydney and Carter; his mother Virgie, half-brother Theodore McNeal Jr., and an extended family that loved him dearly. Few are as stellar in life as they are claimed to be in memory; Philip McNeal was, and he will remain so in our hearts, forever.