Ed Neil, Longtime La Mesan and San Diego Press Photographer, 96

You might not have known Ed Neil’s face, but if you read The San Diego Union and Evening Tribune newspapers between 1946 and 1981,  his photos probably left an imprint in your memory.

Like the plane crash site in the mountains that he not only captured on film, but also discovered in the woods with the help of his “nose for news.”  While other reporters and photographers were just showing up, Ed was already heading back to the Union and Tribune offices with the scoop, his son Michael recalls.

Or the baby photos he shot of a young gorilla named Albert at the San Diego Zoo—now memorialized as a bronze bust at the zoo’s entrance—who remembered Ed years later when he visited, reaching out to him with a finger through the cage.

Neil died peacefully in his sleep March 9 at age 96.

His career as a photographer, starting at Thompson Photo and Consolidated Aircraft (Convair) before landing at the paper, took him all over the country and into the presence of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy. He also shot boxing legend Archie Moore.

But his proudest accomplishment was the life he built in La Mesa for 61 years, raising his children Janice, Sylvia and Michael, and spending time with his beloved wife, Kathryn, his family says. 

The family spent several vacations camping, water skiing and traveling the country in an RV, visiting all but two states, said his son Michael.

A memorial for Neil will be held Friday, April 15, next to the Tunaman’s Memorial on Shelter Island.  Family and friends will gather to share memories and say farewells, and between 11:45 a.m. and noon, a boat carrying Neil’s ashes will pass by and signal before heading out to scatter them near Point Loma.

More information about Neil is available in his .

Other La Mesans in Memoriam:

Although was born in San Diego, she moved to La Mesa in 1946 and stayed for the rest of her days.

A familiar face at the La Mesa Thrift Shop, was a longtime East County resident and member of the American Legion Auxiliary.

graduated from Grossmont High School in the 1930s, and spent most of her life in San Diego County before moving to Sacramento.