John is survived by his wife of 40 years Sharon A Bogucki, son John August “Gus” MacNeal of Wahiawa, HI and Great Falls, MT, sisters Mary Lint of Cedar, MI, Susie Foulke of Hillsdale, MI, and Sara (Dale) Harmelink of Brookfield, WI, 24 nephews and nieces and a large and loving extended family.

John was born in Hillsdale, Michigan on July 21, 1949 to John Angell MacNeal and Helen Elizabeth (MacDonald) MacNeal. He received a BBA from the University of Michigan in 1971 and his JD from Wayne State University Law School in 1974.

John practiced corporate law in the Detroit area until moving to Solon Township in 1981. From 1981 through his retirement in 2017, he was a partner in private law practices in Traverse City.

John loved traveling with Sharon throughout the United States and to many countries around the world making friends and enjoying the local cuisine in the states and countries he visited. Besides traveling, John loved playing with and training his dogs. Six of his Wirehaired Pointing Griffons qualified for the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Invitational Test and two of them, Udall and Abner, became Versatile Champions. He also loved helping others train their dogs.. Over the years he spent thousands of hours helping the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association at the Association level, the local Northern Michigan chapter and chapters all over the United States and Canada. In retirement he became an avid pickleballer playing two, three or even four times a week. John was still playing pickleball and hiking the Arizona deserts and mountains with his dogs and friends this past December.

John was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Margie Winfield and brothersin- law Dave Lint, Doug Foulke and Bill Winfield.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be sent to the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, navhda.org, for the John MacNeal Memorial Fund or to MD Anderson Cancer Center for pancreatic cancer research, mdanderson.org.

A celebration of John’s life will be held this summer in the Traverse City area. on Sunday, July 21 with time and location details still being finalized. There will also be a Memorial Mass on Monday, July 22 at 9:00 am at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Traverse City.