Kathy Neff

Kathleen W. Neff of Kettering, Ohio, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2026 after a brief illness. Kathy was born in 1929 to Buell and Jewell Williams in Wheelersburg, OH, where she spent her childhood. 

In 1946 Kathy married Floyd Neff, the love of her life. They lived in Portsmouth, OH where their son, Les was born, moving to Dayton in 1951. A daughter, Melissa, was born soon after, completing their family of four, and in 1955 they moved to Kettering where Floyd worked his entire career at the GM Delco Plant. After her children were raised, Kathy went back to school to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. She received an LPN Diploma and started her career as a floor nurse at St Elizabeth Medical Center in Dayton. However, most of her nursing career was spent working in the mental health unit at Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia where she found her calling and made lifelong friends with other nurses and coworkers. She retired from GMH at age 74.

In addition to her husband, Floyd, Kathy was preceded in death by her sister, Eloise Zuhars, and a dear lifelong friend from childhood, Mary Ann Helton. She is survived by her son, Les (Judi) Neff; daughter, Melissa (Dave) Ward; grandsons, Craig (Heather) Neff, and David Ward; granddaughter, Susan Ward (Tim) Hoeffler; great-grandchildren, Sofia, Hayden, Sara, and Caitlin Neff; Anna and Josh Hoeffler; and Owen and Autumn Ward; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. 

The love she gave was returned in full by all who knew and loved her. May she rest in peace. 

Services will be held on Saturday, October 17th at Routsong Funeral Home (2100 E. Stroop Rd), beginning at 12:00pm.