On Tuesday, July 27, 2021, Niel Wingfield, loving husband and father of three sons, passed away at the age of 43. Niel was born on November 17, 1977, to Otto and Hana (Hernandez) Wingfield in Chicago, Illinois. He received his AA Degree from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, in 2013, and continued his studies at the University of Florida in the Engineering Program. On November 14, 1999, he married Melissa Kozma. Together, they were blessed to have three sons, Thomas, Joshua, and John.
Niel had a passion for being outdoors. He loved to go hunting and fishing. He also enjoyed carpentry and making items from leather. His woodwork, leatherwork, and creativity were much admired by friends and family. He was an avid Christian music lover and enjoyed playing the trumpet and singing. He was known for his quick wit, his infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit. Niel’s true passion was sharing the love of God with those he came into contact with. He was always pointing people to Jesus by sharing his testimony with them and making himself vulnerable to people in that way.
Niel especially treasured spending time with his boys, doing activities with them, even when it was physically difficult for him to do so, believing in them, and encouraging their dreams, and most importantly, reaffirming who they are in Christ. He treasured his family as a blessing, and always expressed gratefulness to God for his loving wife. His children would like their Daddy to know how much they love him and to thank him for being fun, loving, and affectionate with them. His wife would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to her loving husband for being her best friend, always making her feel beautiful and loved, and for always encouraging her and believing in her. She would like to say thank you for always laughing together through the hard moments. The most important gift he gave his wife was assurance of her identity in Christ, which is the anchor holding her and their children through this difficult time of separation, along with the prayers of multitudes of family and friends. We hold fast to the confidence and hope that we will meet him again.
Niel was preceded in death by his father, Otto. He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and their sons, Thomas, John, and Joshua, his mother, Hana, his 3 brothers, Andrew (Aimee), Otto (Ashley), and Bryan (Adlai), his grandmother, Claudelia Hernandez, grandfather, Florentino Almeida, Aunt Judith Stone (Francis), Uncle Magdiel Wingfield (Milca), Uncle Abel Luis Almeida (Ana Luisa) and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A graveside funeral service will be held on Sunday, August 1, 2021, at 9:30 am, at the High Springs, Florida, Cemetery. Attendees are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. The graveside service will be followed by a worship service at Christian Fellowship Church in Lake City, Florida.
