Dr. Thomas Neil Carmena, known to all as “Neil,” passed away peacefully on October 22, 2026.

Neil was born on March 11, 1932, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated as salutatorian of Catholic High School in 1949 at the age of 17. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Louisiana State University and continued at LSU for medical school. His internships and residencies at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, San Francisco General Hospital, and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit taught him to listen to his patients so that he could treat them compassionately and effectively. He proudly served in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon for two years in Japan.

On October 20, 1962, Neil married Judy Guy in Baton Rouge, and the couple headed west to Las Vegas to build their life together. Later that year, Dr. Carmena opened his medical practice, specializing in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, and he devoted 40 years to his patients in the Las Vegas valley. A curious learner throughout his life, he avidly read medical journals and marveled that there was always something new to learn in his field.

Neil and Judy welcomed four daughters: Janie, Julie, Amy, and Leslie. After Judy’s unexpected death in 1980, Neil raised their daughters on his own.

In his spare time, Neil absolutely loved tennis. His magnificent smile appeared every time he stepped onto a court, and he played until the age of 89. After that, most days you would find him watching the Tennis Channel. He also loved the outdoors and once shared that he had spent a morning snow skiing at Lee Canyon and the afternoon water skiing at Lake Mead. He flew across the Atlantic on the Concorde and sailed on the QE2. He often said he had the best of everything in life and was incredibly grateful for his experiences, his friends, and his four daughters. A true Southern Gentleman, he believed that kindness, a good education and hard work were life’s essentials. He often told his girls to “be sweet,” and he cheered on the LSU Tigers through every sport in every season.

Neil was preceded in death by his wife, Judy; his parents, Doris and Joseph Carmena; and his brothers, Billy and Jack Carmena. His legacy of love will live on through his daughters and their families: Janie (Dave) DiLena, Julie (Dan) Lamey, Amy (Freddie) Koning, and Leslie (Chris) Walden; and his 12 grandchildren: Julia, Daniel, and Adrian DiLena; Lauren, Megan, and Brett Lamey; Freddie and Poppy Koning; and Carter, Trent, Conley, and Janie Walden.