Lorena Chloe (Birckett) Neff (1889 - 1974)

Born 9 Apr 1889 in Geff, Wayne County, Illinois, USA

Wife of Charles Roy Neff — married 2 Oct 1910 in Wayne County, IL

Descendants

Died 4 Aug 1974 at age 85 in Cisne, Wayne County, Illinois, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Paul Neff [send private message]

Biography

From the "Wayne County Record", Fairfield, Illinois, May 7, 1943 (Front Page):

We present here six great soldiers: Five Neff brothers and Mother - greatest soldier of them all.

Mrs. Lorene C Neff, of Cisne, is the mother of ten children, nine boys and one girl. Five of the sons shown here, are now seeing action in the Navy an Marine Corps. Two of them, Raymond and Guy were at Pearl Harbor on that fateful Sabbath morning of December 7th, 1941. Raleigh was among those who met the yellow plague on Midway Island a few months later. He remained at Midwayfor nine months, but was recently transferred to another area.

Samuel is somewhere in the South Pacific.

"That's about all I know about them" Mrs. Neff told a representative of the RECORD. "I don't know where any of them are." And then she continued with that expression peculiar to an anxious mother, "but I wish itwas all over and they were at home"

Mrs. Neff is not different from the scores of other mothers who bring letters and pictures to the RECORD. Their faces lighten with pride as they tell of the record of their sons are making in the service, but stifled tears and tightened lips reveal only too clearly the love and fear that overshadows the pride. Somehow as American mothers dream of the achievements and success of their sons, they never include war in their scheme of things, but plan for him a life of peace and democracy. Consequently, the cost of that smile that conceals the agony of the souls is the greatest price that is aid for war. No medal of honor can be awarded for their sacrifice, but in recognition of it, Woodrow Wilson set aside the second Sunday in May, as the day when all Americans should pay special honor and tribute to MOTHER.

Two of the four sons not now in the armed forces expect to be called within the next few months. Harold, 26, is married but has no dependents. He will probably be put in 1-A by the selective service order issued this week. Elmo, 18, was deferred for two months, when examined about five weeks ago.

The other two sons are Billie, 15, and Cecil, 12.

The large family lived on a farm near Cisne until 1936, when the father died. THe sons choosing other work in preference to farming moved the mother and younger children to Cisne, and have since provided for the home.

Two of the sons, Raleigh A. and Raymond A. are twins. ____________________________

End of newspaper story.

____________________________

On May 12, 1945, Lorena christened the USS Pomodon (SS-486), a Tench-class submarine, likely at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine.

Sources

• Lorena's grave, birth and death years are located at FindAGrave.com

• Lorena & Charles' marriage record is found at the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

• United States Social Security Death Index, FamilySearch Lorena Neff, Aug 1974; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• United States Census, 1920, FamilySearch Lorena C Neff in household of Charles Roy Neff, Lamard, Wayne, Illinois, United States; citing sheet 8A, family 158, NARA microfilm publication T625, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.; FHL microfilm 1,820,413.

• States Census, 1930, FamilySearch Lorna Neff in household of Roy Neff, Bedford, Wayne, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0005, sheet 2A, family 42, line 49, NARA microfilm publication T626, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 567; FHL microfilm 2,340,302.

• Wikipedia article on the USS Pomodon showing Lorena as the sponsor.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Travis Neff for starting this profile.

Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Travis and others.