John Neil (Stevens) Jednoralski

John Neil (Stevens) Jednoralski died July 21, 2022, in Grand Island, NE. He was born to John Joseph and Mattie Stevens in Chicago, IL, on August 19, 1946.

Neil grew up in Chicago and went to Chicago Public Schools (Lovett Elementary School and Steinmetz High School.)  Neil went to the University of Illinois, Urbana / Champaign, and graduated with a BS in Agricultural Science, a BS in Agricultural Engineering (soil and water conservation) and a Commission in the USAR, Corps of Engineers as 2LT (he was on Brigade Staff of IL AROTC as a junior, Brigade Command Sergeant Major). Neil served two years on active duty, with the Corps of Engineers, at Ft. Belvoir, VA, Ft Riley, KS, and Vinh Long, Mekong Delta, South Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he was the Battalion Construction Engineer, Battalion Reaction Force Commander, Battalion Civil Engineer and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer, for the 36th Engineer Battalion (Construction) in 1971. The Battalion was a Distinguished Unit that year.

Neil returned to the states to an engineering position with the State of Illinois, Division of Water Resources, as a hydraulic engineer. He continued his education at the University of Illinois, Springfield, Illinois, with graduate work in climatology / meteorology and environmental geology. Neil then started work in the private engineering consulting field and worked for three engineering consulting firms (Springfield, IL; Harrisburg, PA; South Bend, IN) as the engineer in charge of about 100 FEMA Flood Insurance Studies. He moved to Salina, KS, and worked over 10 years for Bucher, Willis & Ratliff on flood insurance studies in KS, and hydrology / hydraulics in KS, NE and MO. Neil started working for MKEC, Wichita, KS, on flood insurance study revisions, the Wichita water system, and Wichita drainage.

Neil finished his engineering career, working over 7-yrs with Kirkham Micheal, Ellsworth, KS. He was the distribution engineer for Post Rock Rural (Ellsworth #1) Water District; was landfill engineer for Kiowa County during the Greensburg, KS, tornedo; prepared numerous drainage studies in KS and CO; was landfill engineer for numerous western KS landfills, and was design engineer on a Design/Build project, with Smoky Hill Construction, of 4 motor pool expansions and a child development center on Custer Hill, Ft Riley, KS.

Neil was a Life Member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Kansas Society of Professional Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Salina 1432, American Legion, Salina 62, Disabled American Veterans, Salina 11; a 40-yr member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, a former Chair of the Smoky Hill / Saline River Basin Advisory Committee and a member of the Salina City River Development Committee.

Neil was preceded in death by his wife of 21-yrs, Susan Ann (Clark Meyer Short) Jednoralski. They were married on 22, March 1986.

He is survived by his sisters; Jane and Joyce and 6 stepchildren; Jesse Meyer, Jeffrey Meyer, Judy Lenherr, John Meyer, JoLisa Fry and Jann Gunkle.

Graveside services with military honors will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday August 3, 2022, in the Osborne Cemetery, Osborne, KS. Neil will be buried behind, on the east, of his great grandfather, Samuel Robinson, a GAR Civil War veteran, and KS. Homesteader in Delhi Township, Osborne County, KS.

Memorials are suggested to the Vietnam Veterans of America and Disabled American Veterans.

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