Brent J. Neely, age 53, of Belvidere, Il, passed away April 3, 2022 after a brave battle with cancer. He was born November 16, 1968, in Carbondale, Illinois to Judith (Fredricks) and Joseph Neely.

Brent grew upin Algonquin, Il and attended Jacobs High School, graduating in the class of 1986. He then went on to work for AT&T, retiring after 25 years. He loved his "phone" work and the close bond he had with co-workers, Jon Bykowski and Jim Kruse; many a laugh and memory were shared between them over the years.

Brent's childhood summers were spent camping at Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. There he enjoyed sailing on the family Hobie Cat, sitting around the campfire and making friends that lasted a lifetime.

His favorite place to go was at his grandpa's cabin on Lake Vermilion in Minnesota. He loved the woods, wildlife and beautiful fall colors which he loved to photograph. Brent bought his forever home in Belvidere, Il with its beautiful yard and river frontage. There he enjoyed the birds and wildlife from his deck while taking care of his park like yard.

Brent is survived by his devoted mother, Judith and stepfather, Gary LeMaire; loving partner of 11 years, Annette Tolomei Turk; sister, Tara (Dave) Bruski; brother, Devin (Nadia) Neely; grandfather, Donald (Judy Lamb) Fredricks; uncle, Mark Fredricks; nieces and nephews, Trevor, Willow, and Kensi Bruski and Hunter and Sommer Neely; and Tipper, his cat.

He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph; maternal grandmother, Shirley Ciolac; and paternal grandparents, Hugh and Edna Neely.

A memorial visitation will be from 4 to 7:15 p.m., Monday, April 11, 2022, at Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services, 218 W Hurlbut Ave., Belvidere, IL 61008. A memorial service to follow with prayers and music at 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Rev. Braun Campbell will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorials in his honor to St. Jude Children's Cancer Research.