Tony Neighbors

It is with great sorrow that we share the passing of Tony Cline Neighbors on Monday, January 27th. Tony was the oldest of five siblings who he remained close to for the duration of his life. The son of Robert and Lucene Neighbors, Tony and his siblings, Bob, Curtis, Sandra, and Jerry spent their childhood traveling from duty station to duty station during their father's 30-year careere in the U.S. Navy. Tony was known for telling stories. Many of them about his days listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio while watching "submarine races" with his dates in high school in El Cajon, California, or the mischievous days of childhood working in his grandfather's store in Dunn, NC.

After high school, Tony served in the U.S. Army in an assignment that remained classified for years. When his two sons were teenagers in the early 1990s, he opened a brief case and showed them pictures and documents from his days serving in an Atomic Demolitions Platoon in Germany. During the 1960s, this unit was trained to deploy small, hand-held nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

He returned home, married Nancy Adams Merritt, a talker and natural storyteller like Tony. She remained close with the Neighbors family until her passing in 2017. While married, he was a manager entertaining guests at The Last Chance Tavern in Garner, NC. He and Nancy had two sons, Paul and Brian, who like their parents were known as talkers and story tellers. But with two small boys at home, Tony took a new job in the beer business as a route man with Carey Wholesale in Raleigh, NC. He quickly rose through the ranks even being nationally recognized by the Shlitz Beer Corporation for his invention of a "rank system" comprised of skills tests and uniform sleeve patches for the employees.

While working at Carey Wholesale, Tony married Lynn Marshburn of Cary, NC, a mother of two daughters, Nicole and Jennifer Holloman. Tony transitioned from Carey Wholesale to Rawls Pump and learned to master the water filtration/water pump repair trade. His son, Paul, was hired and the two worked together serving the Wake County and surrounding areas. Tony never needed business commercials or advertisements. He and Paul's work ethic and care supplied them with a loyal and kind customer base for decades.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 to 3:45 pm Saturday, February 15, 2025 in Bryan-Lee Funeral Home - Garner, 1200 Benson Road, Garner, NC 27529.

His memorial service will be held at 4:00 pm Saturday, February 15, 2025 in the chapel of Bryan-Lee Funeral Home following the visitation.

The private interment will occur at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Heartland Hospice at www.heartlandhospice.com or by mail at 4515 Falls of Neuse Rd. Ste 420, Raleigh, NC 27609-6374.