Searight F. Neff

Searight Franklin Neff, 87, of Fairfield Bay, AR passed away March 30, 2015. His loving wife, Pat and daughter, April were by his side when he drifted off into his Father’s waiting arms.

Searight was born to the late Elmer and Sadie Neff of Mount Holly Springs, PA on August 8, 1927. He attended Carlisle High School graduating in 1946. He also attended Penn State University and Texas A&M at Arlington graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1959, he married the love of his life, Patricia Thompson Neff. They had two children, April Patricia Neff Rocco and Todd Searight Neff.

Searight loved the outdoors - camping, hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, gardening, swimming at the beach, boating on the lake and playing golf … he was always at his best enjoying God’s nature. Many of the fondest family memories are with Searight hiking the Rocky Mountains, skiing Ligonier Mountain, fishing for Salmon in Alaska and trout in Pennsylvania, hunting for White Tail Deer, enjoying the surf at Bethany Beach, DE and the many rounds of golf he played all over the country. Searight was a big sports fan; he was very fond of his Penn State Nittany Lions but also became a big fan of the college teams where his grandchildren attended. Searight could regularly be seen wearing a Baylor shirt one day, an Alabama shirt the next day and his favorite Rose-Hulman “Fear the Engineer" shirt the following day. He loved attending Penn State football games and Stephen F Austin football and basketball games with his family.

God had gifted Searight with incredible talents, he loved to fix anything! He used this talent to enjoy a 35 year career as a field engineer with AMP, Inc. retiring in 1989. Not ready to “retire”, Searight and Pat purchased and managed The Office Outlet store in Indiana, PA from 1990 until 1998 when they sold the store and retired to Bethany Beach, DE, then Tarpon Springs, FLA, then Fairfield Bay, AR and finally to Nacogdoches, TX to spend more time their daughter April, son-in-law Matt and the grandchildren. While in Nacogdoches, Searight spent the last 6 years of his life fixing things and planting flowers at Etech Global Services where he was loved and adored by all.

Searight is survived by his wife of 56 years, Pat, his daughter April, wife of Matt Rocco (formerly of Allentown, PA) now of Nacogdoches, Texas; his 6 grandchildren- Nick Rocco, Matthew Rocco, Lexie Rocco, all of Nacogdoches, Sadie Neff of California, and Jamaal and Jermaine Wilson of Pennsylvania. He is also survived by brothers Donald “Donnie” Neff, husband of Sondra and James “Jim” Neff husband of Cathy, sister Virginia Ann “Ginny” Yeignst, wife of Samuel Yeignst, all of Pennsylvania, his favorite aunts, Shirley & Imogene, and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins. Among his treasured friends are Dr. Bryan & Pam Lansford, Kay & Joe Barclay, Ken & Glenda Lansford, Charlie & Dottie Marcincavage, Dr. Reverend Robert Hadley, Jim and Kelci Iyoob, and Fred & Brenda Haberlen.

Searight is preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Sadie Neff, his step mother, Dorothy Neff, his brothers Elmer, Robert, Kenneth, Maynard and Vernon. Searight was also preceded in death by his son whom he loved so much, Todd Searight Neff in 2009. We can only imagine the reunion they are all enjoying now.

A Memorial Service to celebrate the life of Searight Franklin Neff will be announced at a later date. Letters of sympathy can be addressed to Pat and the family at 16 Waterford Dr, Nacogdoches, TX 75965. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Men’s Club, c/o Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church, 250 Dave Creek Pkwy, Fairfield Bay, Arkansas 72088.