Neal Parsell was born on December 22, 1936 to Elmer and Marcella (Kraemer) Parsell in Kooskia, Idaho. He attended Clearwater Valley High School, and graduated in 1954.

He attended the University of Idaho and completed his studies in 1966. During school he was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity. Parsell also worked for local newspapers, sawmills, and the Forest Service. He was a sergeant in the United States Army, a volunteer of the Peace Corps located in Nepal, and was a staff assistant to Senator Frank Church in Washington, D.C.

He spent 20 years as an Forest Service employee of the Nez Perce National Forest. During his employment he had various roles ranging from fighting fire to construction to maintenance to environmental paralegal. He retired from the Forest Service in 1995, and afterward served two years as Kooskia City Clerk/Treasurer. Parsell passed away on June 24, 2018 in Clarkston, Washington.