“Neel was a wonderful human being, loyal friend, and accomplished musician. He studied and played music from a very young age and music moved him, guided him, and fed his soul. Neel’s joy spilled out of him and was infectious; he enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm for music and life. In the midst of our grief and with the help of family and friends, we found a way to honor Neel and create a legacy by establishing music scholarships and educational funds in his name. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for keeping his memory alive.”

- With Love: Brady, Genie, Narayanan, Feuy, and Ryan

Neel Thomas Foon

“Neel was a composer of life, never taking a minute or note for granted.

A silent smile. A piercing and perfect guitar phrase. A soft-spoken opinion. Neel possessed an uncanny ability to simultaneously be silent, but speak volumes; to be loud, but offer a soft and quiet warmth. Neel approached life much like he approached music. He studied a range of genres to inform and guide him to his own musical vision and identity. He repeated this blueprint in life: Neel wove people, places, experiences and words together just as he wove musical notes together. He found bridges, strength in connections, and knew the rhythm and emotion of the moment. Neel didn’t simply dabble here and there to develop his breadth of knowledge and experiences, he immersed himself in the beauty and richness of life.” - Jennifer Cooper

“Love and affection dominated and took many forms for Neel.

Hair was one of those forms. His hair obsession began when as a toddler, he’d twist and twirl Genie’s silky hair around his fingers as a soothing movement. As he grew, the twirling became a sweeping, gentle touch — a connecting and grounding gesture. And as Neel grew, so did his own hair. Neel’s long black hair was an attraction, distraction, screen, magnet (chick, that is), accessory and identity for most of his childhood years.”

“The guitar was played, practiced, and promoted whenever and wherever Neel could.

His fearless stage presence graced The Fox Theater, Yoshi’s, senior citizen homes, 924 Gilman, Freight and Salvage, Sweetwater Music Hall, the Craneway and many more. He played large and small venues, fundraisers, feel-good and be-better events. Neel’s innate talents were refined, dependable, desirable and with heart. He shared his musical gifts and talent with several local bands and musicians: Agony, Atlas, ORO. Neel played guitar a lot, so much that it sometimes kept Narayanan awake at home as their bedrooms shared a wall. Narayanan would bang on the wall to get him to quiet down when it was late. Neel complied by playing lullabies. That was Neel. Family first… but usually with a way to still play guitar.”

“
Anger wasn’t in his songbook.

Neel was a compilation of goofy, endearing, loving, opinionated, hard-working, curious, authentic, purposeful and playful. Calm moments in his home suddenly filled with shrieks of joy when Neel would pop out of nowhere and embrace a family member or friend in a bear hug. Neel loved his family and friends deeply and unconditionally.”

“Neel played his beloved guitar much like he lived life: with full commitment and a wide-open heart.

Watching him blossom and mature, Neel’s presence and gift of so much personal generosity will be greatly missed by those of us who spent time alongside him on his journey. Sometimes shy, sometimes bold - always genuine - Neel was an incredible young man.” - Montessori Family School

"Rare are those among us who are so generous with their love that they are unafraid that others might witness this generosity. This is Neel."

- Nic Kaelin, Former Middle School Teacher

“Though the world feels darker without Neel in it, the light that he brought was so bright, brilliant, and lasting that it will forever shine.

Neel spread enthusiasm, creativity and unbridled affection to countless souls he touched. His compilation of life was cut much too short, but judge not by its duration, and rather by its notes and manner of lifting the spirit. Neel Thomas Foon will live on in the love, influence, music, and memories within all of us. We will remember him.”

"He had a gift and a purpose that can take years for a young person to cultivate…

…and some people never discover it for themselves at all. But even with this sense of self that elevated him compared to his classmates, he remained humble. When his friends struggled, he gently and patiently helped them find their way. His legacy at Montessori Family School is unparalleled. Neel had a presence and a purpose that was unique, a soulfulness and depth that was his alone. The world is a poorer place for his loss, but we are so much richer for his short time with us." - Micah McClain, MFS Music Teacher

“Neel lived fully, with open eyes, heart and mind.

Oh, and an open pallet - frog’s legs, churros, Korean bbq, beaver and tapioca were all on the list. Better than those, however, was the “Chinese farmer’s breakfast” that Brady lovingly made then carried Neel downstairs to consume almost every morning until Neel grew taller than Brady.”

“Neel was a lover.

Neel’s childhood was built on a bedrock of love, support and opportunity established thoughtfully and naturally by Genie and Brady. Their core values are solid, run throughout all that they do, and are reflected in Neel, Ryan, Feuy, and Narayanan. In addition to unwavering values, Genie and Brady worked to help Neel find his interests at a young age. They took Neel to little league baseball — Neel sat in the outfield and picked the flowers. Then they tried Karate — Neel refused to spar. The message was clear, Neel wasn’t a jock and certainly wasn’t a fighter; he was a lover. When Neel was nine, with Feuy’s modeling, Neel discovered the pure joy of rocking out in the car to Green Day. Green Day, Metallica, Alabama Shakes, Snarky Puppy, Black Keys, Isaiah Rashad. Music moved him and he began to move music.”

"Neel was so many different and wonderful things to so many people…

…but what always stood out most to me was the light and joy he brought into a room. A talented and hardworking musician who continually impressed me with his ability to listen, take in information, process that information, and then create some piece of beautiful art stamped with his unique musical voice." - Terrence Brewer

“Neel was so very humane and reached out to all comers and wanted everyone to know that gathered together…

…We were safe and we were going to have a nice time and please make room as others might join us later.” - Alissa Stolz, Former Middle School Teacher

“Let your hair grow, write a rap, give a surprise hug, dance wildly, discover new music, snuggle, make a video, dress sharply, be silly, eat a bowl of cereal, smile broadly — and think of Neel.”

- Jennifer Cooper

The Neel Turtle

“Neel started drawing turtles on family birthday cards when he was about 8 or 9 years old. We’re not sure what the significance of turtles was to him, but he was definitely intrigued and attracted to them and he always asked if he could have a pet turtle. His friend Aidan had a tortoise and Neel loved to hang out with him in their backyard.

The significance of turtles for Neel may not be evident to us now but he clearly loved them and related to them. He used his drawings to show his sentiments to those he loved. After a while he started drawing turtles for his friends, on their shoes, or school notebooks, or their hands, or wherever was convenient. He drew them on a chalkboard in the band room where he practiced with his bandmates, Oliver, Aidan, and Gabe.

After Neel passed away in March of 2017 his girlfriend Ari got a Neel turtle drawing tattooed on her arm. Then his best friends Oliver and Aidan along with buddies, Matteo and Bella got tattoos as well. Others joined them, including fellow musicians Jasim and Joseph, close friends Skylar and Lisa B., cousin Makoto, Neel’s big brother Ryan, and of course Brad and I. Neel’s childhood friend, James C. opted to get his initials “NTF” as a tattoo rather than the turtle.

Others chose to honor Neel through their creative outlets. Neel's close friend and fellow musician, Sasha Berliner, wrote a beautiful piece of music that spoke to her friendship with Neel and the impact he had on her and many others. It is called "Mallards and Sea Turtles.”

The turtle symbol took off and we started receiving turtle figurines from everywhere. When friends or family traveled, they brought us a turtle from the places they visited. We started an altar with Neel’s picture and kept adding turtles to it and each year we add more.

When Brad and I travel we take a turtle figurine with us and leave it in the places that speak to us of Neel. Either in a location or with someone we meet on our journeys. We like to take Neel with us wherever we go and leave a bit of his memory in those places.”