Died May 21, 2026
Albert Neutel, Sr., died May 21, 2026. He was born February 19, 1937, in Hogeveen, the Netherlands. As a young man growing up in his native country he was introduced to pipe organs and organbuilding with a local firm. This is where his fascination with pipe organs was formed. In 1954 his entire family immigrated to Canada.
There he earned a certificate in electronics that led to a job with the Hallman Organ Company. From there he went on to work with regional organ companies in the role of service and installation technician. He then founded the Neutel Pipe Organ Company in Ontario. While the bulk of his work was centered in Ontario, Neutel pipe organs could be found as far west as Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta.
Neutel joined the American Institute of Organbuilders, where he first met Franklin Mitchell. In 1977 Mitchell asked Neutel if he would consider coming to work for the Reuter Organ Company in Lawrence, Kansas. After a visit to Kansas, Neutel wrapped up operations in Ontario while the family waited for visa approval. In the fall of 1979, with approval in hand, he began work at Reuter. Not long thereafter, the opportunity for Mitchell and Neutel to partner and purchase the company presented itself. With Mitchell’s retirement in 1997, Albert, Sr., took the helm of the company until 2005. During his tenure at Reuter, Neutel completed more than 700 organs.
In 1960 Albert Neutel married Jane Janssen, also a native of the Netherlands and a registered nurse. Upon retirement they began fulltime travel of the United States and Canada in their RV, eventually settling in Bradenton, Florida. Jane Neutel died in 2015. Shortly afterwards, Albert moved to Jacksonville to be closer to family. Albert Neutel is survived by his four children, fifteen grandchildren, and fourteen great grandchildren.
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