Kenneth Earl Neifert Jr

Kenneth Earl Neifert passed away peacefully at his memory care facility on May 31st after a multi-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruth and Ken Neifert, his wife, Carol, his brother Bruce, and his brother-in-law Mark. He is lovingly remembered by his sister Cathy & John Robertshaw (Liana; Amanda & William Heller: Matt, Naomi; Stacey & Nick Fazekas: Nicholas), his sister-in-law Lewann Erb (Matt & Molly Neifert: Ignatious, Isadora, Cecilia; Kyle & Angela Neifert: Logan, Gia), sister-in-law Mim & Alvin Wostein (Zoe & Pat Dawe: Olivia, Parker), sister-in-law Judy Greif (Alex & Jen Greif: Eliott, Lexi, Serena; Karl & Jen Greif, Jane, Eva; Zach & Emily Greif: Aubrey, Melaina, Oliver), sister-in-law Beth Nurnberger (Carrie and Dennis Lane: Carter, Elizabeth; Annie Nurnberger & Dalin Jones: Piper, Meg Nurnberger) and by his son Robert & Amy Neifert (Zaya, Conrad), and his son Tim Neifert.

Ken grew up in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. He attended Mansfield College, where he met Carol. After a college romance, which included a year apart, they married and moved to Western Pennsylvania, where they built their family in a country house outside of Greenville. Ken worked his way up in a steel cutting factory over the years, moving into management and eventually becoming inventory manager. In this role, he traveled between the multi-state operation, was relocated to Indianapolis for a year, and eventually relocated in 2000 to Pittsburgh, where Carol’s family lived.

Ken received an Education degree with an Art’s minor at Mansfield College, and he pursued his interests in education, art, and music by becoming involved in the church choir, community band, and Boy Scouts. 

In choir, he sang at Zion's United Church of Christ, in Greenville, then McKnight Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, then Casa Adobes United Church of Christ, in Tucson, enlivening the services with his beautiful tenor voice. He sometimes sang at other churches, especially Carol’s brother Mark’s church, where Mark was the organist and music director.

In the band, Ken played clarinet and alto saxophone. He played in as many as five community bands at one time, and often transposed pieces of music from piano or another instrument into saxophone parts.

Ken was also a Scout leader and had many adventures with the troop, extending his participation past his kids’ involvement, and supporting the troop on hikes and camping trips, and even bicycling with a troop 99 miles from Greenville to Erie, in 1999.

With his family, Ken was a calm and loving presence, always involved with his family, helping close and extended family with home remodeling and building projects, which was another of his impressive skills. For relaxation, he and Carol sought out lake vacations, first at Aunt Omi’s Chautauqua house, then Lakeside, OH, where Mark and Beth summered. A favorite throughout was Presque Isle and Barcelona at Lake Erie, where he and Carol would walk the rocky beach looking for sea glass, which over time filled numerous jars, lamps, and containers.

After Carol’s passing, Ken moved to Tucson, AZ, with his son Robert and his family, where he lived in their guest house for several years until his dementia required him to move to an assisted living facility. Amazingly, even as his aphasia was taking his speech, he played saxophone in the New Horizons community band at the University of Arizona and sang in the choir at Casa Adobes. He will be forever missed and his memory celebrated.

Donations to Project Linus, a non-profit Carol loved, and Ken finished her quilt corners.