By Austin Rust-
prominent figure in the West Union business community, Lawrence Ivan McNeilan, passed away Thursday, May 23 at the age of 82.
Lawrence McNeilan was the owner and operator of McNeilan’s Trash Removal for 60 years, and a member of the Mt. Armenia Baptist Church in Lynx, Ohio, where he was an Elder, Deacon, Church Leader, and Sunday School Leader.
He was born on Logan’s Lane in West Union to the late Millard and Nola (Conn) McNeilan on Dec. 17, 1936 at their family home. His family also were faithful members of the Mt. Armenia Baptist Church .
Lawrence attended school at Tiffin Elementary and West Union High School through the 11th grade. In shop class, he and his friend Durg Lance made hands for the courthouse clock in West Union, and climbed into the courthouse – at the age of 14 – to put them on each clock face.
After leaving school, Lawrence set his sights on working for a living. He soon gained employment at Bob Blanton’s grocery store, where his job was to deliver ice. It came in 350 lb. blocks from Maysville, and Lawrence would deliver it all over Adams County to country stores and homes. He was also later employed by Equity Milk Distributors, and could often be seen carrying a metal milk can in each hand enroute to a local market or rural home.
While attending church at Mt. Armenia, he met Hazel Taylor. They were married on Dec. 23, 1955 by Reverend Mills of the Christian Union Church at his West Union parsonage. After getting married, Lawrence and Hazel decided to move to Dayton, Ohio, where Lawrence began working for Standard Oil. After a year of living in Dayton, the two returned to Adams County. They bought a farmhouse and seven acres on Chestnut Ridge Road in West Union, adjacent to the golf course, and started a family there- Lawrence Jr., Terry, Cheryl Ann “Annie”, and Patty were born at the old Adams County Hospital near their farmhouse in West Union. During this time, Lawrence hauled steel out of Portsmouth, Ohio all over America in his 18-wheeler, and bought a garbage route from Everett “Bullhead” Rothwell.
Later, Lawrence and Hazel swapped their farmhouse for a home on Pumpkin Ridge Road, where Lawrence owned and operated the West Union Landfill for 12 years. Lawrence, together with Bobby and Charles Stratton, then built a log cabin for the family on McNeilan Road, off of State Route 125.
His daughter, Charlyne, recounts the experience, “He would take us around when we were younger, when he decided to build a log cabin, to look at kits. Once we had picked one out, he and Charles Stratton drove their own semi to pick it up from West Virginia, and built it on the McNeilan Road, the road that was named after him.”
After the cabin was built, Lawrence turned all of his attention to the family business, McNeilan Trash Removal, which still operates to this day after over 60 years of service. The family also owned H & L Quick Stop off of State Route 41 in West Union for several years.
“Big businesses have come in and tried to take over,” said Robert Hawkins, Lawrence’s son-in-law. “He started with a flat-bed truck. He didn’t even have the proper equipment when he started, but he built it all up. It’s a family-owned business, still owned by his wife and his sons.”
Faith and charity were cornerstones of Lawrence’s life. He and his wife Hazel were involved in philanthropy, and issued donations to many ministers, churches, societies, veterans, cancer research, and the Children’s Home.
“Anything that came in the mail,” said Charlyne, his daughter,. “If he had money, he would give to different churches, organizations, the Catholic Church, it didn’t matter. He wanted to help.”
“He has taken care of people. He has provided houses for people. He has taken care of people all of these years. He could have been a very wealthy man, with all of the money that people owed him, but he never recaptured that, and we don’t want to recapture that.”
Lawrence had many hobbies and interests outside of his endeavors, including fishing, hunting, boating, and camping. Music was one of his biggest passions, and he could play many different instruments, including the guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and banjo. He had a great voice, and shared it with his church congregation often. He also had an affinity for bluegrass and country music, and helped tutor many young people to start on a number of instruments throughout the years.
“Lawrence McNeilan has left a lasting legacy of hard work and family values,” says Robert Hawkins. “His patrimony provided his family the understanding of what a person can gain from hard work, grit, determination, strength, and love of fellow man. He was a wonderful father, loving son, loyal brother, great provider, good neighbor, role model, and true friend to many. He was deeply loved in life and is faithfully missed by his family. Although he has quietly slipped away, his resounding messages will live on through his legacy. However, of all his accomplishments, he was most proud of his preparation for his inheritance in heaven.”
