Neil Ernest McPherson

Neil Ernest McPherson, age 90, formerly of Westminster, Md, lately of Frederick, Md, passed away on July 18, 2025, at Citizens Care and Rehabilitation Center in Frederick, Md.  He was born on January 31, 1935, in Detroit, Michigan, to Gus McPherson and Lydia Mabel (Heikkinen) McPherson. After Mabel’s early death, he lived for a time in Nova Scotia, Canada, and was raised in Battle Creek, Michigan, with siblings Judy, and Skip Bannister, by Gus and his step-mother, Elner Bannister McPherson. He was a devoted husband of sixty years to Judy Rose (Will), and a loving father and father-in-law to Matthew MacKenzie (Ana Maria Camacho Diaz) and Christine Anne (William Franklin). He deeply loved and cherished his twin grandchildren Bruce Andrew and Mackenzie Anne McPherson, born November 6, 2009.  Neil was hard-working and dedicated to supporting his family and household, whose members also included a dear godson, Juan Castro, Darryl, Malik, Marvin and several others over the 47 years in Westminster.

The first in his family to go to college, Neil graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  An English major, Neil became a skilled writer, a stickler for English grammar and syntax and is remembered for helping his young son, Matt, develop writing skills of his own.  It was during Neil’s academic years also that he honed his considerable athletic skills on golf teams, even considering going pro.  He later always loved keeping up with golf on TV.

 Neil spent 44 years working as a program analyst and foreign affairs specialist for the Social Security Administration, first in Chicago (where he met Judy) and then in Woodlawn, Md.  During that time Neil and his young family spent five years on joint mission to the US State Department in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he manned the Benefits Unit at the American Consulate there. He learned Spanish for the mission and became a proficient speaker of the language.  During the rest of his tenure at Social Security, Neil traveled to many embassies and consulates around the world for benefits analyses. A homebody, he was somewhat reluctantly well-travelled, going as far as Australia, Yemen, Japan and China.  Classic travel stories included a refreshing solo swim in the ocean in Australia, not aware he was in shark-infested waters, and always his search for familiar food in exotic locales.

Neil was a prodigious reader of mysteries, poetry and science.  He enjoyed a comfy chair and Jeopardy, British mysteries and sports on TV, often with his friend, Brian. He was a fearless ocean swimmer and taught his kids to enjoy the water.  He loved kids and animals and he was bonded with his longtime feline friend, Simba, and his grand-dog, Monkey.  In later years he enjoyed visits to the grandkids in Cape Cod and Florida. At home, all the neighbors chatted with Neil as he spent hours outside weeding and mowing the lawn and raking leaves on Maple Crest Drive.

Neil is survived by his wife, Judy, son and family, Matthew, Ana Maria, Bruce and Mackenzie, daughter, Christine and husband, William, sister-in-law, Pat Miller and family in Indiana, niece and nephew, Pam Murphy and Mike Murphy, and  sister-in-law, Pat Bannister, and the Bannister family in Michigan, as well as many friends and extended family members who value his memory.   Neil’s dear sister, Judy Morgan, just preceded him in death in April, 2025.

As a quiet and unassuming man, Neil may not have wanted to be the center of attention, but he deserves to have his long years of hard-work and fatherly love honored.  He was a man of integrity, kindness and generosity.  He will be missed by family and friends. Cremation has taken place and a private burial with family will be at a later date.  His family is grateful to the staff of Fletcher Funeral Home in Westminster for handling arrangements and to all who have reached out with expressions of condolence. As Neil loved animals, it is suggested that any donations in his memory could be made to the humane society or an animal shelter in your local area.

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