Neel

Dixie Lockett Neel, 100, widow of Charles O. Neel, Jr., died Sunday, May 28, 2017, at her home in Lexington. Born in Hart County, she was the only daughter of the late Virgil Browder and Winnie Butler Lockett. She grew up on her parents' farm, attended Western Kentucky University, where she met her husband-to-be, taught in a one-room school in Hart County, soon married Charles, and later moved to Shelbyville and eventually to Versailles, where she and Charles lived for almost 70 years. She was active in the woman's club and Versailles Baptist Church. Known for her cooking, she was dedicated to homemaking, raising her children, and participating in numerous and varied church activities. She and Charles were married 77 years. Survivors include a son, Jack Neel, Nashville; a daughter, Joyce Neel Crofts, Lexington; five grandchildren, Jennifer Gerhart, Kirsten Crofts, Tina Smith, Tonya Pulley, and Tony Smith; 13 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Five brothers and a grandson, Joe David Pulley, are deceased. Services will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. today, Thursday, June 1, at Blackburn & Ward Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m.prior to the service. Burial will follow in the Versailles Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to Bluegrass Care Navigators (formerly Hospice of the Bluegrass), 2312 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, KY, 40504.