Baker City, Oregon
Wilbur Wayne Neff, 72, of Baker City, a former longtime Bend resident, died Jan. 7, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church, 2407 Seventh St. Pastor Nathaniel Neff will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the Calvary Baptist Church, 2107 Third St.
Visitations will be until 7 p.m. today at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
There will be a second funeral Saturday at 11 a.m. at the True Gospel United Pentecostal Church in Bend. There will be a reception afterward at the True Gospel Church. Interment will be at Deschutes Memorial Garden Cemetery in Bend.
Wilbur was born April 29, 1931, at Medford to Ray and Elenore Ragsdale Neff. The family moved to Bend when Wilbur was very young. Although he completed most of his education in Bend, he also attended schools at Oregon City and at Ritzville, Wash.
In 1948, at the age of 17, Wilbur joined the U.S. Navy. He served in Okinawa during the end of the Korean War. At the age of 20, he was honorably discharged. He returned to Bend where he continued to live for most of his life.
In 1953, he met Virginia Cady at a Christian Supply Store. On July 31, 1953, after an entire month- long courtship, Wilbur and Virginia were married in Bend.
They remained married for the last 50 years. The couple had three children: one son, Nathaniel in 1954; and two daughters, Annette in 1957 and Hannah in 1963.
After several years of working odd jobs, Wilbur went to work for the U.S. Postal Service. He continued to work there for 17 years, until he retired in 1991.
He spent the next eight years enjoying the retired life. In 1999, Wilbur and Virginia moved to Baker City to lend a hand with the Lighthouse Church School alongside their son, Pastor Nathaniel Neff.
Wilbur always enjoyed going out for a burger, often saying, “They don’t call me Wimpy for nothing!” He loved buying flowers for his wife and enjoyed spending time with his family.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Virginia of Baker City; his son, Pastor Nathaniel Neff and his wife, Gewnett, of Baker City; his two daughters, Annette Donahue of Napa, Calif., and Hannah Micheletti and her husband, Paul, also of Napa, Calif.; a brother, James Neff and his wife, Pat, of Madras; and a sister, Alice Bowers of Portland.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Jerry Neff, who died in the mid 1970s, and Larry, who only lived to be a month or two old.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lighthouse U.P.C. through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Oregon 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, January 9, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor