Gordon Nelson Neff Obituary (1916 - 1994)

Born Jan 23, 1916, Gordon Nelson Neff attended Charlevoix High School in Charlevoix, MI. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Gordon Nelson Neff.

Graduation Year	Class of 1934
Date of Birth	Jan 23, 1916
Date of Passing	Feb 02, 1994
About	Gordon N. Neff, 78, of Charlevoix, died Feb. 2, 1994, at Bortz Health Care of Petoskey. Funeral will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Charlevoix with the Rev. Kenneth Bernthal of Christ Lutheran Church in Boyne City officiating. Burial will take place in Brookside Cemetery in the spring. Mr. Neff was born Jan. 23, 1916, in Charlevoix, the son of Lance V. and Esther C. (Nelson) Neff. He was raised and attended school in Charlevoix, graduating from Charlevoix High School in 1934. He attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he studied forestry. He graduated from the Detroit Business Institute as a court stenographer in 1943. On Jan. 22, 1938, in Chicago, Ill., he married Catherine J. Walgren, and she survives. Mr. and Mrs. Neff moved from Grosse Pointe Farms to Charlevoix in 1944. Mr. Neff worked for 20 years with his wife, Catherine, and his brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Eleanor Neff, at Neff Brothers Grocery in Charlevoix, which is now the Wharfside. He and his brother donated two docks behind their store as a gift to the city. Mr. Neff retired in 1970. Mr. Neff was a well-known wood- carver and worked primarily in shore birds. For a period of time, he owned a gift shop called Neff's Birdhouse in the Market Mall in Charlevoix. He gave several of his birds to the Charlevoix Historical Society. Mr. Neff was a founding member of the Bethany Lutheran Church in Charlevoix. He was a member of the Charlevoix Rod and Gun Club and Trout Unlimited. He was a former member and contributor to several civic organizations in the Charlevoix community, including the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce and the Charlevoix Development Corp. Mr. Neff and his wife, Catherine, were employed at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey for a period of time. Mr. Neff was a well-known sportsman and outdoorsman. He contributed several outdoor articles to the Petoskey News-Review. He was also the author of two books, "Memories of Yesterday" and "Northern Ontario and Alberta Moose Hunting." He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Catherine, of Charlevoix; one son, Gordon Brian Neff and his wife, Betty, of Petoskey; two daughters, C. Marilyn Gibbons of Charlevoix, and Karen M. Hoffman and her husband, Donald L., of Petoskey; 10 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; one sister, Edna Marie Kennedy and her husband, Basil, of Traverse City; one brother, Robert L. Neff and his wife, Eleanor, of Stuart, Fla.; several nieces and nephews; a cousin, Joan Nelson of Charlevoix and many other relatives. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the North- ern Michigan Hospital Heart Association, Bethany Lutheran Church of Charlevoix, or directed to the family. Envelopes for memorial contributions are available at the Winchester Funeral Home in Charlevoix where the family will meet friends from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. today, Feb. 4.