JEFFERSON "JEFF" NEFF

On January 30, 2025, Jefferson Neff (Jeff) passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 80, after living a full and healthy life. He was born on September 10, 1944, in Jonesville, VA, while his father was serving in the US Army during WWII as a master mechanic working on airplane engines. When Jeff was ten years old, he and his family moved to Middletown, where he attended Wilson Elementary, Rosevelt Jr High, and Middletown High School. During his school years, Jeff was an excellent student and athlete, but also enjoyed participating in school plays and musicals. He graduated from high school in1962 and then attended DePauw University. In 1966, he graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in physics. He and his high school sweetheart, Katherine Gould (Kathy), were married in 1967. Shortly thereafter, he was recruited into the nuclear fusion program in the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), and was sent to the University of Florida to pursue a master’s program for DOE. Jeff, Kathy and their children moved to different states through the years as he accepted different positions with DOE all over the country, including the following states: Maryland, DC , Florida, Virginia, Idaho, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio. In 1995, Jeff retired from DOE after which he worked for several private contractors to the DOE including: Weston, Inc., Stoller, and EG&G, among others. His wife was finally able to persuade him to retire from full-time employment at the age of 70. After that, and until the time of his death, he consulted part-time from his home in Middletown, OH while he continued his interests in cars, investment strategies, IT technologies, music, physics and sports. He also organized and enjoyed a yearly family vacation to Hilton Head Island with Kathy and his children and grandchildren. During the last ten years of his life, Jeff continued to volunteer for the AARP tax return assistance program in Middletown, which fulfilled both his desire to help people as well as his fascination with problem solving and mathematics. Although he spent a large amount of time working in his field of interest, he was also extremely involved with his family. Jeff and Kathy were married for 57 years and they got to enjoy a lot of time together in the years after Jeff retired. Jeff was very close with his adult children as well as his grandchildren, mother, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended family. He attended many graduations, funerals, birthdays, weddings, athletic events, and musical recitals while keeping in touch with everyone, giving advice when asked, lending a hand when needed and visiting as often as he could. In addition to his family, Jeff was relied upon and loved by numerous friends who knew him as a level-headed, smart, funny, open minded and caring person. His death is a great loss for many, including his church family at Ascension Episcopal Church in Middletown, Ohio, where he and his wife have been members since 1998. Jeff was preceded in death by his parents, Jefferson O. Neff, Sr and Virginia James Neff, his brother William C. Neff and his in-laws Robert H. Gould and Martha Katherine Plinke Gould. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Gould Neff; his daughter Tobi Virginia Neff Athanas (Constantine) and Tobi’s children Sophia Katherine Athanas, Chloe Elizabeth Athanas, and Theodore Constantine Athanas; and his son Robert Jefferson Neff, Sr, and Rob’s children Hannah Joy Neff and Robert Jefferson Neff, Jr. Jeff is also survived by his sister, Sandra Neff Dietz (Doug) and her daughters Wendra Katherine Williams Mathew (Bijay) and their two children Drew and Shreeya Mathew; and Deandra Dawn Williams Cornett (Tom) and her son Hayden Rieck Cornett. Jeff is also survived by Kathy’s sister, Elizabeth Gould-Leger. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that you donate to the charity of your choice in Jeff’s name. Services private at the convenience of the family. Arrangements by Herr-Riggs Funeral Home, 210 S. Main St., Middletown, Ohio. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.herr-riggs.com

JEFFERSON "JEFF" NEFF

September 10, 1944 - January 30, 2025