NOTE: OBITUARY
RIVERTON, Wyo. – A former Riverton resident credited with starting the uranium boom in central Wyoming’s Gas Hills has died at the age of 84.
Neil McNeice died Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz.
McNeice described himself as a “self-taught geologist and weekend prospector.’ He and his wife discovered the Lucky Mc uranium deposits Sept. 13, 1953, during a combined prospecting trip and antelope hunting venture.
McNeice and Lowell Morfeld were partners in the uranium venture, which The Riverton Ranger newspaper later said led to the “biggest exploration in Wyoming mining history.’ Over the next three decades, more than 150 million pounds of uranium oxide were produced from mines and mills in the Gas Hills.
The McNeices moved to Tucson in 1962. Neil McNeice is survived by his wife, Helen; two children; and two grandchildren, all of Tucson.
Memorial services are pending with the Adair Funeral Home in Tucson.