Dr. Neal Garver Clement, M.D., FACS, age 80, passed away peacefully at home on January 27, 2025, with his family and dogs by his side.

Neal Clement was born on June 23, 1944, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Catharine Garver Clement and Charles Baxter "Foots" Clement. The Clement family lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia, before settling permanently in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1953.

He graduated from Central High School in Memphis, where he was named All-Memphis in football in 1962, and began his college education at Duke University, where he was a member of the football team. He later transferred to the University of Mississippi, earning a bachelor's degree before attending medical school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, where he received his Doctor of Medicine degree.

Neal married the love of his life, Patricia Laura "Patte" Quinlen , on March 17, 1973, in Memphis, Tennessee. Together they built a life rooted in family, service, and community.

Following medical school, Neal completed a surgical internship and general surgery residency at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis and served as an Instructor of Gross Anatomy at the University of Tennessee Medical Unit. From 1973 to 1976, he completed his orthopedic surgery fellowship at the Willis C. Campbell Clinic in Memphis, followed by a postgraduate fellowship in reconstructive surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

He proudly served in the United States Army Reserves, attaining the rank of Major, from 1970 to 1976 and was honorably discharged.

In 1977, Neal and Patte moved to Florence, Alabama, where he began private practice with the Florence Clinic and later co-founded the North Alabama Bone & Joint Clinic. Over nearly four decades, he became a trusted and respected orthopedic surgeon in the Shoals community. Deeply proud of his profession, he continued seeing patients well into his eighties, practicing medicine almost until his passing.

Neal was board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was an active member of numerous professional organizations and maintained hospital affiliations with Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, Shoals Hospital, Helen Keller Hospital, and  Florence Surgery Center.

Outside of medicine, Neal loved the outdoors and time spent with family. He enjoyed traveling out West with his wife for elk hunting, as well as duck, dove, and quail hunts with friends; fishing with his son; mowing on his tractors; and attending horse shows with his wife and daughters. Family dinners around the table were deeply important to him. He loved reading, dancing , offering advice, eagle watching, and—above all—supporting his children. He was their biggest cheerleader and was always working to smooth the path ahead for those he loved.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Baxter Clement and Catharine Garver Clement, and his brother, Charles Baxter Clement Jr.

Dr. Clement is survived by his beloved wife, Patte Clement; his children, Charlie Clement, Katie Clement, and Liza Clement Register (Ron); and his cherished grandchildren, Ann Catharine, Nealy, and Gary, who lovingly called him "Big Neal." He is also survived by his sister, Laura Clement Cousar; his niece, Catharine Cousar Perkins; and her children, Clement Perkins Jones (Carter), William Dewitt Perkins, and George Cousar Perkins.

A visitation will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Florence, Alabama on Saturday, February 21, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m.

The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Bill Heaton, Dr. Eddie Holden, Dr. Eric Santiago, Dr. Gerald Hagstrum, Dr. Andy Pritchard, the Home Instead staff and sitters, Southerncare New Beacon and the many physicians, nurses, therapists, and caregivers who provided compassionate care and support.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to PAWS, Florence–Lauderdale Animal Services, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, or Trinity Church.