Mansel Neal Alsup, Jr.

Mansel Neal Alsup Jr., 70, passed away on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, following a brief battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family in his final moments and passed away peacefully.

A son, husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, Neal leaves behind a legacy of love, hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. He taught his family what it meant to love deeply, carry responsibility, show up when needed and rise to a challenge.

Neal worked as a loyal and valued team member in the printing industry throughout his career, until his retirement several years ago. His interests beyond his work and his family were varied. He was an avid reader and lifelong learner of everything from Joan of Arc to Mark Twain to farming and everything in between.

He taught his sons to think things through, talk things out and to listen carefully, even when advice was hard to hear. He also taught them to trust their judgment and stand firm in what they believed was right.

To know him was to love him, be challenged by him, and be made to think critically. He asked the hard questions because he cared.

He was so smart. He knew people. He believed and taught that loving people means understanding what each person needs individually. He showed his family that people need different things from us, and that meeting those needs is one of the most meaningful ways to love and serve them.

One of the ways he demonstrated this last lesson was as a youth soccer coach. For 21 years, Neal coached hundreds of players, extending his influence far beyond his own family. The soccer field gave him another place to see people’s need and teach them the lessons he valued most: work hard, rise to a challenge, and remember that a loss is never the end of the story. His legacy lives on in the many players he coached.

Neal was funny, tough, and always honest. He was a master motivator, even when you didn’t know that’s what he was doing. His work ethic was exceptional.

He loved Mary (his wife of 53 years), his family (including his pup Zoey), those he worked with throughout his career, the kids he coached, the Ole Miss Rebels (Hotty Toddy!), warm weather, storytelling, horses, visiting the sale barn, John Deere tractors, and learning something new.

Neal is survived by his wife, Mary McDonald Alsup; his sons, Tony Alsup and wife Cathy, and Craig Alsup and wife Jennifer; his granddaughter, Sarah Alsup; his grandsons, Trevor Alsup and Jude Alsup; his sisters, Cathy Hand and husband Terry, and Sue Jolly Davis; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mansel Alsup Sr. and Catherine Alsup, and his brother, David Hamby.

His family will miss his humor, storytelling, the conversations they thought there would be more time for, and the memories they hoped were still ahead to be made. They carry with them the lessons he taught, sacrifices he made and the moments they shared.

In their grief, they find comfort in imagining his reunion with his parents and his first face-to-face conversation with Jesus.”

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”    2 Corinthians 5:1 ESV

A Celebration of Life service will be held graveside at Raymond Cemetery on October 23rd at 11am. All family and friends are welcome to join as we celebrate the life of a great man.