Memorial | A Fond Farewell to Frank Neher

[Rick]

A Fond Farewell to Frank Neher...



Daniel Franklin "Frank" Neher

Dear Greathouse Cousins,

Many of you know that Rick and Lynn... and others... had been trying to contact Frank Neher for some time now. It is our deepest regret to tell you that he has passed on.

Most of you know that Frank was the original data coordinator for our Greathouse Cousin Network. He gathered and  connected the majority of the family information on Greathouse Point today. Without him, there would be no Greathouse Point or Greathouse Mailing List.

Frank was one of the most generous genealogists you could ever encounter. He and his wife Verna transcribed records for cemetaries all over Wenatchee County, WA. Many can be found on the Internet credited to them. Frank served on several genealogy mailing lists. While He can not  be found in any of our families on Greathouse Point, and he was not a descendant of our Groethausens, he was connected to the Swearingen family, which has strong ties to the Greathouse family.

How extraordinary that he would take on such a monumental effort for a group he was only connected to distantly!  Frank only gave up the work when his health would no longer allow him to do it. He remained available for consultation and his friendship was priceless.

A little information follows about Frank:

Daniel Franklin "Frank" Neher, twin to Milton Neher.

Birth: 27 APR 1917 in Wenatchee, Chelan County, Washington

Christening: JUL 1942 in Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii

Married: 16 AUG 1942 in Hilo, Hawaii to his beloved Verna Claire Hutchings

Death: 27 May 2004 in Wenatchee, Chelan County, Washington

Frank played high school basketball. He served in the U.S. Armed Forces and received a service connected Medical Discharge for Tuberculosis, (arrested 1949). Frank loved fly fishing, camping, travel and gardening. He played saxophone in the Gene Dolman dance band 1938-1940. Frank was an active member of the Wenatchee Elks Lodge No. 1186. He was Exalted Ruler 1975-1976, and Northeast District Deputy GER 1983-84. He served as Bulletin Coordinator and President of the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society.

He was the Data Coordinator for Greathouse Point and the Greathouse Mailing List, and a Founding Father of our project.

We owe Frank Neher a huge debt of gratitude. We shall all miss him terribly.

[Lynn]

I share Rick's sadness at Frank's passing. Verna and their family are in my thoughts and prayers.

Frank was a mentor and a friend to me. Our little band of cousins is indebted to Frank for his tireless work in collecting, sifting through,  and organizing the family data that makes Greathouse Point so valuable to researchers and so much fun for our family. He was a skilled genealogist and a wonderful friend.

Frank Neher, along with Pat Greathouse, left us a wonderful legacy. I only hope we can continue in his footsteps of scholarly research, friendship, and cheerful pursuit of the facts of our shared history.

I miss him.

-lynn

[Harold A. Kelley]

Frank was a great friend to all that contacted him.  He gave generously of his time and expertise to every one.  He will be sorely missed.  Harold Kelley

[Dennis Ward]

I will always remember Frank for his great help when I started out as a "newbie". Don't know where he got the patience, but he always had time to answer questions and help. He will be missed..

[Joan Bogdanski]

Our thoughts and prayers are with Frank's family as we read of his passing this morning. I often regret that so many of us didn't start working on our family history until late in life so that our ties with each other are often cut short. Frank helped me when I sent a query to the GREATHOUSE list years ago. My Greathouse cousins offer a belated thanks  to Frank.  Joan

[LadyMJG@aol.com]

My deepest sympathy to Frank's family.  I am a cousin of Patricia Dodd Greathouse who worked with him on the Greathouse genealogy. I appreciate how much his work meant to our family and all the Greathouses that we would have not known about otherwise.

Martha Joyce Greathouse
Birmingham, Alabama

[hmounts@aol.com]

My deepest sympathy to you and your family on the crossing over of your husband.  He was a great help to me in my Greathouse research.  My prayers go to you and yours.

Henry Mounts   [/b]

[Anonymous]

My condolences to Verna and family on the loss of their dear husband and father.  Frank has been a dear and kind friend and is my distant cousin through the Swearingen and Hite families.  Frank was always helpful, and appreciative of our exchange of information.  He will be sorely missed, but will always be remembered.  I grieve with you.

Louise F. Johnson

[LaRay]

Sorry to hear Frank Neher passed away i did not know him but from what i read it seems like he was a very nice man.Seen his picture and he
had a kind face with a great smile.Nice men like him are far and few.
Will pray for strength for Verna to get threw these trying times.
                                                                        God Bless

[Vivian]

I wish to add my expression of sympathy to the family of Frank Neher.  He was very generous in time (and paper and postage) to include me in the Greathouse research when I did not have access to the Internet.  Without his help, I would still be looking for the wrong ancestral names.

Vivian Morlock Taylor

[jofern_1]

It saddens me that Frank is gone and I feel for his family.  My maternal grandmother was a Greathouse and I had corresponded with him on e-mail.    Longfellow said:  "Lives of great men all remind us
                                     We can make our lives sublime,
                                     and, departing, leave behind us
                                     footprints on the sands of time."

Frank Neher was one of such great men and has certainly left his footprints on the sands of our time --.

Fern Gold

[cr415@gommu.com]

Dear Verna,
I send my deepest sympathy to you and your family regarding the loss of Frank.  He was a wonderful person to do such great work for the Greathouse family!  I had not been in touch with him, personally, for many years, but he was always close to my heart because of all of his help.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you or your family.
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
God Bless,
Donna Llewellyn Lester

[Anonymous]

Dear All Greathouse Descendants!

I just found this site today, and while I'm not sure if Frank N. is a Greathouse descendant, he sure looks like the men in my family!  

My sympathies to all those who were close to Mr. Neher.  

Sincerely,
Barbara Greathouse

[greathouse@bresnan.net]

sorry for the loss it sounds like he was a great man

[codyclan]

Thank you for letting us know about Frank.  Frank was instrumental in helping me over 10 years ago connecting me to my grandmother's, Elsie Greathouse, genealogy.  His chats with me are treasured as he also assisted me in other area's of my family as well. Again, thank you for the notification.

God Bless him and his family.

Terri Cody