Neal McCoy’s Father Has Died
Neal McCoy's father, Hubert Neal "Pete" McGaughey, has died. The singer shared the news with fans on social media on Saturday morning (March 25), about an hour or so after his dad passed away.
"Y'all have been like a big family to me ... Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers," McCoy said in a Facebook Live video on Satuday morning. "He's in a much better place. We all know that as a family, so we're okay with it. There will be sad times, I know, but this morning, he's already in a better place and already doing a lot better."
McGaughey was born on April 17, 1930, in Jacksonville, Texas; he was 86 when he died. He was a retired civil engineer, his obituary reports, who worked for the Texas highway department, as Jacksonville's city engineer and at the Orthopedic Brace Company at different times during his life; McGaughey also co-owned two engineering companies. It was while serving in the United States Army Corp of Engineers in the Philippines that McGaughey met his former wife, McCoy's mother Virginia.
"Growing up I never saw him in a bad mood. He never brought work home with him and was always the same guy: the best personality in the world and always a real treat to be around," McCoy told the Chicago Tribune of his father in 1999. "I think I patterned myself after him -- in that I want people to enjoy being around me, to like hanging out with me."
McCoy is named after his father: His real name is Hubert Neal McGaughey Jr. McCoy used the stage name "Neal McGoy" before switching to "Neal McCoy" -- and, in an ironic twist, McCoy's mother later married a man named Don McCoy. Neal McCoy's stepfather died in August of 2015, following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Hubert Neal "Pete" McGaughey is survived by his wife Dolores (McCoy's stepmother); his three children and their spouses; four grandchildren, including McCoy's son and daughter; and three great-grandchildren. Visitation and funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday morning (March 29).
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