Dr. Dennis Alan O'Neal, 58, and wife, Debra Cohen O'Neal | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Dr. Dennis Alan O'Neal, 58, and wife, Debra Cohen O'Neal, 56, died Sunday, March 31, 2013 in a plane crash. Their beloved pet Golden Retriever, Amelia, was also killed in the accident.

    A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Rock Springs Center, 4025 NC Highway 43 N, Greenville.

    If there's one thing you could say about Dennis and Debbie O'Neal, it's that they lived life to the fullest. They loved, they lived, and they laughed their whole way through their marriage. They never stopped moving forward, and their love for each other was eclipsed only by their love for their children and their dog Amelia. Avid pilots, sailors, bikers, and all around adventurers, they gave everything 100%.

    Debbie was a passionate teacher and instructor, and touched so many lives through her work that it wasn't uncommon for many of her students and mentees to refer to her as a second mother. Dennis was an optometrist who was more than just a doctor; he was a humanitarian. He truly cared for his patients with a compassion that was unrivaled in his field. Both were avid members in North Carolina communities from Beaufort County to Boone. Proud of their Jewish heritage and darn proud to be Damn Yankees, the amazing couple leaves behind three loving children, Juliana, Douglas, and Kevin.

    Dennis is also survived by a sister, Martha Clark and husband, Kevin; and a brother, Michael O'Neal; and Debbie is also survived by a brother, Fred Cohen and wife, Dhana; sister, Jan Cohen Weiss and partner, Rick; and mother, Lorna Cohen; in addition to a network of friends and family that extends around the globe.

    In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Beaufort County Association for the Blind, PO Box 491, Washington, NC 27889, or Wright Flight, PO Box 2105, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948.

    On-line condolences atwww.wilkersonfuneralhome.com

    Arrangements by Wilkerson Funeral Home & Crematory, Greenville.