Adam Alexander Neelly passed away on May 20, 2023, after fighting a battle with cancer that took him in just two short years.
Adam was a 1993 graduate of McIntosh High School. After graduation he attended Georgia State University for one year before transferring to the College of Charleston where he majored in Computer Science. While attending College of Charleston, Adam worked, studied hard, and enjoyed living on Folly Beach.
It was during this time that he began making friends that would remain steadfast throughout his life. He remained in Charleston for ten more years during which his love for music and travel awarded him an even larger network of friends and career opportunities.
In 2006, Adam moved back to Georgia and called Athens his new home. He worked at the Georgia Theater until finding his dream job with Sixth Man Concerts. Sixth Man is an entertainment production company owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. This company provides big-name entertainment on themed cruises.
Adam loved his job because he got to spend weeks in the Caribbean or places like Barcelona for a month as they produced the concerts for Bon Jovi. Between cruises Adam continued to work part-time for the Georgia Theater. However, once the cancer was discovered, everything stopped because the cancer progressed so rapidly.
Adam is survived by Melissa Baxter whom he loved and depended on every day before and after the diagnosis. The family that he left behind includes his parents Gene and Ishy Neelly, his younger brother Reese Neelly, and his Uncle Jimmy Neelly. He has cousins throughout the Middle Tennessee area.
On June 3rd, the Georgia Theater hosted “Adam’s Song.” With Adam’s name on the marquee, friends began to arrive and share stories and memories of Adam. A huge number of friends and co-workers came from all over the United States for this event. It was standing room only at the Theater as we celebrated his short, but adventurous and loved-by-all life. Even the CEO and the founder of the company Sixth Man came to meet us and explain how he would be greatly missed. A testament to his amazing personality is the way one friend described him — A Connector of Hearts.
Adam will be missed every day, but especially on Football Sunday as we watch his beloved Falcons. He had been a season ticket holder for years which finally led the rest of his family to become season ticket holders so we could enjoy the games with him.
As his life neared the end, the Falcon Organization sent him a Falcon jersey, an official signed Falcon helmet, and letters from the Falcon Organization.
He was always trying to outdo the year before on Ishy’s birthday. He got the biggest thrill watching Ishy’s face when he was able to get gold tickets to go on the field to welcome the players at the last game in the Georgia Dome which is the game that led them to the Super Bowl.
Adam’s days were filled with receiving radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy and time spent in and out of the hospital. His friends never let him down. They continually sent gifts, flew, or drove in for visits, called and texted to let him know he had their support. They had books made that were a pictorial memory of the good times they had. Posters filled the walls that showed fun times at the different concerts or events they had attended together. They did everything they could to bolster his morale.
It was these friends who alerted the Falcon organization and got the items sent to Adam. They have had a star named after him, a friend from Cincinnati had 48 trees planted in his honor in the Chippewa National Forest, and they even wrote an article to be placed in the Phish fan magazine to honor his memory.
One friend from Charleston bought an extra five-night ticket for the recent Phish concert in Madison Square Gardens. He sent a picture of the empty seat with Adam’s “Ringo” t-shirt draped across the seat. He knew Adam was there in spirit. They jokingly said they called Madison Square Gardens “Adam’s House” because he had been there with them so often. Brendan Sweeney and Travis Hargrove were even with us by his bedside when he was called home to join the angels.
Another friend and college roommate from Charleston, Chip Baysden who is an Emmy winning photojournalist created a fun video to highlight the fun parts of his friendship with Adam and Adam’s life. You can enjoy watching this on YouTube by selecting Chipbaysden Adam’s Song. Another author and movie critic, Joe Bob Briggs, has posted what Adam meant to him on YouTube. To view this — “Departing Words from Joe Bob Briggs to Adam Neelly.”
His smile, his “thumbs up” signal, and his caring nature will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. He showed us all how to live life to the fullest and be brave to the end.
Gene, Ishy, and Reese have made plans to greet friends and share Adam memories at Peachtree City First Baptist on Thursday, August 31st from 4 o’clock to 6:30. We hope you can join us.
