Neal Reed Merchen, 74, of Mahomet, Illinois, passed away on June 24 after a courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease. Born on July 13, 1951 in Pierce, Nebraska, he was the son of Frederick and Leona (Karlin) Merchen.

He earned a bachelor's degree in zoology and a master's degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, before completing his doctorate in dairy science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1981. He joined the faculty of the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois that same year, where his research focus was comparative nutrition of domestic animals. After serving as acting and interim head beginning in 2001, he was appointed head of the Department of Animal Sciences in 2003. He led the department for more than a decade before becoming associate dean for research and director of the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station in 2012, a role he held until his retirement in 2017.

He is survived by wife Gloria Sax of Mahomet, sons Brett (Lacey Cowsky) Merchen of Chicago, and Todd (Liz) Merchen of Cheltenham, England, and two grandchildren, Theo and Lily Merchen of Cheltenham, England. Also surviving are sisters Fern Nohr, Alice June Gilsdorf, and Connie Rentschler, and many nieces and nephews. His former wife, Janet Merchen, also survives. He was preceded in death by his son, Joel Scott Merchen, his parents, and his siblings Marvin Merchen, Joyce Frevert, Joann Kuper, and Rose Marie Kolar.

In addition to developing and maintaining a successful career, Neal was a devoted family man, faithfully attending his sons' sporting events and musical concerts, as well as planning adventurous vacations to take with his family, and with the boys individually. His extended family and his friends were very important to him as well. He maintained close friendships with many he knew from childhood, in particular Tom Herzog (Kim Schweers) and Bruce Lemke (Bonnie), all of Nebraska. In his later years, he and Gloria enjoyed extensive travel with Tom and Kim, creating many lasting and wonderful memories.

A public visitation will be held on July 11, 2026, 1:30 to 3:30 PM, followed by a brief service, at Renner-Wikoff Chapel, 1900 S Philo Rd, Urbana, IL (renner-wikoffchapel. com).

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in his memory be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation (give.michaeljfox.org), or the Champaign County Humane Society (cuhumane.org) in Champaign, IL.