Just after midnight on December 18th, 2025, Kevin Charles Neylan of Guttenberg, Iowa completed his final trip around the sun. He was 10 days shy of his 79th birthday. He passed away while sleeping peacefully in his home. He spent his final hours surrounded by friends and family and had listened to the Cubs win the World Series (2016 replay) the night before while his daughter held his hand.

Kevin was born December 28th, 1946, in Rochester, MN to parents Charles and Marguerite Neylan. He was the second of three children. His older sister was Kathleen Neylan (1944-2020), and his younger sister is Rosemary Neylan (born 1949.) The three siblings maintained a deep and loving friendship throughout their entire lives—they always looked out for each other. They took a memorable trip to Ireland together in 2003. Rosemary (whom he called “Rosebud”) was with Kevin when he passed and took wonderful care of him in the months preceding his death.

Kevin grew up in Elkader and Garnavillo. He attended Campion High School for boys in Wisconsin. It was a challenging environment, but he made a lot of good friends. After he graduated, he promptly declared himself an atheist. He loved a good theological debate and kept an open mind about others’ beliefs throughout his life. After high school, he attended the University of Iowa, where he received an undergraduate degree in Philosophy/Pre-law. He always said his two favorite philosophers were Socrates and Jesus Christ. An early essay titled “On Liberty” by John Stuart Mill made a great impression on him, and he quoted it often. He attended law school at Creighton University in Nebraska, later transferring back to the University of Iowa where he received his law degree in 1970.

Kevin met and married Anne Rowley (now Pedersen) in 1968, and they had two children: Patrick Charles (born 1972) and Molly Jane (born 1975.) They were married for 25 years and remained friends after that.

In 1970, Kevin was drafted during the Vietnam war. Thankfully, he was not deployed overseas. He served honorably at Ford Ord near Monterey. He often said it was a mistake to leave California after the war; but the truth was that he loved Iowa, and it was in Iowa where he was happiest. He believed Wisconsin was the prettiest of all 50 states and that Guttenberg, right on the Mississippi River, was the prettiest town. He lived in Guttenberg for 46 years.

Kevin was a practicing attorney who was a member of the Iowa Bar Association for over 50 years. He served as Clayton County attorney in 1972 and went on to work at the Neylan Law Office in Elkader alongside his big sister, Kathleen. Later, he started his own successful law practice in Guttenberg. One of his career highlights was a case that he and Kathleen argued (and won) before the Iowa State Supreme Court in the early 80s. Kevin was a persuasive litigator; he had a gift with words. Although Kevin enjoyed helping people and the intellectual rigor of practicing law, he always warned his kids never to become lawyers. So, they didn’t!

Kevin had a great many interests over the years including lively conversations with family, beers with friends, golfing, billiards, boating, cards, trivia, and travel. He was an avid TV viewer, a self-declared “couch potato,” and he loved old movies, funny videos, almost all sporting events, and the latest dramas on Netflix. He was a political news junkie, a skilled (amateur) stock analyst, a fantasy football wizard, a die-hard Hawkeye, and a loyal Cubbie fan. He was also a great cook and made a mean pie (with the help of Mrs. Fields.)

Kevin had many beloved dogs throughout his entire life (Tom, Max, Jill, Sammy, and Rocky.) He once told his daughter, “Losing a dog is worse than losing a child!” She decided to let that one go by. Rosemary’s dog, Lily, was one of his greatest joys over the last few years; he always spoiled her with too many treats.

Kevin was probably best known for his humor; he had an impressively quick wit. His blue eyes literally twinkled when he told a joke, and he had a contagious laugh. He often said he wanted to live forever, because there was always a joke out there that he hadn’t heard. We all wish he had been able to do that, because he made the world a better place every day that he was on it. Jokes aside, he had a depth of spirit that few people can match. He was a critical thinker, a life-long philosopher, and a champion for the downtrodden. He was ethical, kind, and passionate about truth, liberty, and the Constitution, especially the First Amendment. He made so many friends throughout the years, from all different walks of life. He treasured them all, and he never let politics get in the way of people. He believed human beings are good at their core.

Perhaps what was most important to Kevin, in the end (which is true for so many of us)— is family. On that score, he was very rich, indeed. He was well loved and will never be forgotten. He was a fantastic father, brother, and friend. The loss is enormous, and his family will seek to honor his spirit in all that they do, going forward. He is survived by his sister Rosemary, his daughter Molly, his son Patrick, his daughter-in-law Sopheap, his many cousins, his many friends, and his two grandchildren who were the light of his life: Harrison (age 6) & Sawyer (age 4.)

Kevin’s family would like to thank the nurses and staff at the VA and Hospice of Dubuque for all their professional and compassionate care, especially Kris, Jennie, and Mary.

A Celebration of Life party will be forthcoming when the weather warms up. In the meantime, online condolences may be shared with Kevin’s family at www.tristatecremationcenter.com or by sending a card to his house.

In lieu of flowers, please direct any donations to

The Humane Society of NE Iowa https://www.hsnei.org/
Or
The Clayton County Food Shelf
100 W Hill Street
St Olaf, IA
52072
(563)783-7794
Or
a local donation to the Guttenberg Veterinary Clinic, Guttenberg Library, or Guttenberg Hospital.

And if you really want to honor Kevin’s memory, check out On Liberty by John Stuart Mills. You can discuss it with him over a Guinness when you get up to heaven. He’d get a kick out of that:

https://gutenberg.org/files/34901/34901-h/34901-h.htm