Neal was a regular on the NightWatch net on 40M and he will be greatly missed. He really loved his cats. Check him out on QRZ.com
FROM THE PRESIDENT, Gary Sheridan N1RNJ
— Silent Key, Neal Rentz N1ZRA
Most CVARC members are familiar with Neal Rentz, N1ZRA. He attended meetings and events faithfully, and could also be heard on many 160 Meter Sideband Nets. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the hobby.
I have a few thoughts to share about him. Neal Rentz was born October 5, 1950 in Hartford, Connecticut. He had been an electrician by trade for his entire life until about five years ago when he became disabled. Many may know he was on a heart transplant list for the past two years.
Well, “his” heart finally arrived on August 5th, and he had to go to Tufts Medical Center in Boston for the procedure. Neal underwent surgery on August 6th; all went fine, and his body accepted the new heart. On August 7 at around 5:30 AM I received a call from the Medical Center informing me
that he had suffered a stroke, and that the outlook for his survival looked dim. Later that day, around 12:00 PM, I received another call from Tufts stating Neal had passed on.
Neal was my neighbor, a good friend to me and my mentor in amateur radio. He always kept to himself; his life was taking care of his 80 year old mother and looking after his animals. He also had a strong passion for ham radio. He always would say to me that the people on the radio were his family since he had none. Neal's request was that he didn’t want anything done for him if he died. I feel differently, and this little write-up is my way of saying farewell to a good friend.
I am saddened to read of Niel's passing. I was aware of his medical condition because he was often hospitalized here in the Upper Valley at the D H M C and would get on the air from his room.
RIP Neil.