Obituary
Robert “Neal” Kropff - husband, father, grandfather, teacher, fisherman, friend, outdoorsman, gardener, accident prone Neal — passed away on July 4, 2023 at the age of 79 at home in Miami, Florida. Neal was born on a kitchen table in Parrottsville, TN in 1944 to Ralph and Evelyn Kropff though the family moved to Miami in 1946. Neal was the youngest of four brothers — David, Larry, and Doyle Kropff.
In 1962 Neal graduated from Hialeah High School, where he was a member of the Pep Club and lettered for the baseball team. Although Neal was “a solid B minus student, with aspirations of becoming a radar technician,” he graduated from University of Florida with a teaching degree and worked for the Miami-Dade County Public School System. He started his teaching career as an elementary teacher while he was briefly married to Beverly Wilkes with whom he had two children, Todd and Jennifer.
Neal quickly transferred to Miami Springs High School where he found his professional home in teaching and coaching baseball. It was in the Miami Springs High School teacher’s lounge that Neal first saw Sue, who was to become his beloved wife of 47 years. She was reading a Kurt Vonnegut book; wisely he read two Vonnegut novels and then asked her out for a date. Susan Tietz and Neal were married in 1976 at Grace Lutheran Church in Miami Springs, Florida. While teaching and coaching at the high school, Neal and a fellow teacher sought after and gained permission to establish a program for at-risk teenagers. Decades later a woman shared with Neal’s daughter-in-law that “her father-in-law helped save her best friend's life with that program” — a serendipitous result of the time and effort Neal invested in his students and a reflection of our interconnectivity.
In 1982 Sue and Neal purchased The Farm —an old farmhouse and land owned and farmed by his Aunt Ruth — in Parrottsville, Tennessee. This was a return to the area around Basinger Holler where his ancestors dated back to the early 1700s. With both Sue and Neal being educators, they fell into the rhythm of visiting The Farm during spring and summer breaks from school and they quickly settled into country life. Neal spent years transforming the house and property, putting in his fishing pond, reconnecting with his family in Cocke County, gardening, berry picking and exploring the mountains. Neal also worked hard, year after year, thinning out the areas on the surrounding hills to allow the hardwood trees to further establish; to this day, when looking at these hills, you can see where the hardwood groves thrive. As a family, there were many trips into the nearby Smoky Mountains with picnic baskets packed and dry clothes standing ready for frigid mountain steam adventures.
It was in becoming reacquainted with Tennessee life that Neal quickly found his appreciation for local folklore and felt the need to support one particular aspect of the Appalachian culture: Moonshine. He was always a source of great joy at parties and holidays.
One year while working on clearing some trees on the The Farm property, Neal made the mistake of using his chainsaw at face level when the chain snapped, cutting him diagonally along his face. After a harrowing trip to the local hospital where they packed the wounds because they couldn't help, Sue put him in the backseat of the Buick and took off for Knoxville. There his plastic surgeon, a University of Miami graduate, “whittled and wove” his face together. Neal watched the whole procedure reflected off the doctor’s glasses. “It was interesting to watch,” recalled Neal. Though the surgeon did an excellent job, Neal’s nickname from then on was Scarface.
In 1996 Neal retired from teaching in the public school system and quickly turned his attention to combining two of his passions: wildlife and teaching. Neal got a job giving tours at Shark Valley Everglades National Park. Although we’re pretty sure it cost him money to work so far out in the Everglades, he truly enjoyed his time there sharing his love and respect for the Everglades – its trees, birds, alligators, fish, turtles, snakes, rocks, ecology, history, and much more – with national and international tourists who came to the National Park and were able to drink from his wisdom and passion. (Along with a reminder for everyone to wear sunscreen!)
Neal had a stroke in May 2005, beginning his journey of hard work to recover. Family and friends surrounded him with love, support, and protection in order to do so. Twice, once in ICU and once in the rehab facility, friends stood sentry at his room door, turning away doctors, nurses, and staff because “Neal is with his priest” who was really his acupuncturist. Though the staff were clearly confused, hearing the priest praying for Neal in Arabic with a Jewish accent, they acquiesced and Neal got his treatments.
While still in the ICU, we found two handwritten notes that reflect that, although he was going through major changes, Neal still had a sense of humor. Neal had started to lean far to his side and everyone (medical staff, family, friends) would greet him and say “Neal, sit up straight, you’re leaning,” so he declared his new name: I-lean Kropff.
First note: “My name is Ilean Kropff. Call 911, Homeland Security. I am being held hostage in Rm 6 Intensive Care Unit at Palmetto Hospital, Hialeah, Fl. Signed ‘I-lean Kropff, being held by medical terrorists.’” Second note: “Please call Rick Sanchez at Channel 7 to send a swat team to Palmetto 2nd floor to get me out of here. My name is Uncle Ilean.”
Neal is survived by his beloved wife Sue, daughter Jennifer, son Todd and daughter in-law Kimberly, granddaughters Susana, Sophia, and Olivia, his sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephew, and great grandnieces. Neal made dozens of friends within the varied communities reflecting his life: teaching, coaching, fishing, reading, rock and bottle collecting, landscaping with native plants, and educating people about the Everglades
Neal was predeceased by his parents Ralph and Evelyn, three older brothers David, Larry, and Doyle, two nephews Tim and David, his niece Susan, brother-in-law Ron, beloved kitties Kizzy, Noodles, Talcum, Kasi, and Big Fat Monkey, and the best dog ever, Clover.
Friends and family are invited to join us on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 10:00am at Vista Memorial Gardens 14200 NW 57 Ave, Miami Lakes, FL 33014 to visit and share memories of Neal. There will be a service of remembrance and celebration of Neal’s life at 12:30pm, followed by a private committal service at 2:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking to honor two of Neal’s passions by making donations to either the Audubon Society or Habitat for Humanity. For all who knew Neal, you know how much joy he received from wildlife and how committed he was in supporting people in need of safe homes for their families.
As Neal’s family, it is very important to us that we extend our most heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all of Neal’s therapists, aides, nurses, doctors, medical staff, and everyone who helped contribute to his wellbeing and health care. After Neal’s stroke, with his hard work and wonderful help, inspiration, and prodding from his healthcare teams, he was able to live a good, purposeful life; he became a grandfather, traveled annually to The Farm, visited family and friends, and maintained his dignity along with his sense of humor and excitement for good company and good food. He retained his love and connection with the special people in his life — as anyone who received a phone call with the latest Neal joke can attest.
As Neal’s children and family we want to honor Sue’s loving, gentle, patient, persistent, determined, and beautiful care of Neal over the past eighteen years. If ever there is an example of living one’s wedding vows, Sue is it.
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were.” – Jonathan Livingston Seagull