Raymond E. Neher

On March 27, 2015 Raymond (Ray) E. Neher went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had been fighting illness for several months and finally finished his race at Mountain View Regional Hospital. He was born in McCune, Kansas and was one of 4 sons. He was the last surviving son and now has been reunited with his parents and brothers in Heaven. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. Ray graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and Soils Science and did graduate work at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., Nebraska State University, Lincoln, NE, and New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M. Ray worked as a soil scientist and received numerous Certificates of Merit and awards while working for the United States Department of Agriculture. He was a Certified Professional (No. 577) in all 50 states as a Soil Scientist, Soil Classifier, and Soil Specialist. Throughout his career, Ray had done extensive soil mapping and classification in areas of Kansas and New Mexico. In 1983 Ray retired from the U.S.D.A. and worked in the engineering department with Dona Ana County. He retired from there in 1990 but continued to assist part-time until 2001. He had been a member of NARFE (National Association of Retired Federal Employees) and was the Chaplain for over 30 years. He sang with the Voz Vaqueros until 7 years ago when he started slowing down a bit. He was a member of University United Methodist Church but attended Bethel Bible Fellowship for the past 13 years. He loved gardening and had prize winning sunflowers, roses and orchids while living in Mountaineer, N.M. He loved growing apricots, figs and plums made jellies and jams for all who stopped in to visit. He would buy and crack pecans by the bushel and delighted in giving them as gifts. He loved going to church, making all of us pot roast with all the trimmings, spending quality time with his love, Paula and especially loved eating her homemade cranberry-apple pie with black walnut ice cream. He has one daughter, Elizabeth Neher Howard Stuart, from a previous marriage and has 3 grandchildren: David, Erin, and Emily. In 1998 he was remarried to the love of his life, Paula. She has 3 children from a previous marriage: John, Jessica and Melissa; and 6 grandchildren: Cheyenne, Cody, Nicole, Morgan, Ashley and William. From the beginning of their marriage Ray embraced all of the children as his own and loved them unconditionally. Ray never met a stranger and he was loved by all who know him. He always uplifted people and was never unkind. He will be missed by many and we, his family, are forever changed by his love for all of us. PDF Printable Version