CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — UPDATE (11:29 a.m. Wednesday): A memorial service will be held in Neal's honor at 2 p.m. Sunday at Texas A&M-CC's Performing Arts Center, according to former Nueces County Republican Party Chair Michael Bergsma. It will be open to the public.
ORIGINAL:
Former Mayor and Nueces County Judge, Samuel "Loyd" Neal died at the age of 85 on Saturday.
A source tells KRIS 6 News, that Neal passed away just after 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at his home.
Neal received his degree from Texas A&M- University and served time in the United States Army before he began working in Corpus Christi in 1963.
Starting in 1985, he started working with the South Texas Military Affairs Task Force and helped protect military installations through three rounds of base realignment, and closures in 1991, 1993, and 1995.
He was elected Mayor of Corpus Christi in the mid-'90s and served four terms.
During that time, he worked with Nueces County Judge Richard Borchard to establish the metro-com system, which sparked his interest in county government.
Neal led many other historical projects in the city of Corpus Christi and was a highly adored leader within the community.
Loyd Neal served 12 years as County Judge before retiring in 2018.
Neal was proactive in the community and devoted his time to various organizations in the city of Corpus Christi.
