John Michele Allan "Jay" Neff

1963 - 2021

John Michele Allan "Jay" Neff, 57, passed away in Amarillo, TX, on March 1, 2021, after a short illness. Services will be held Friday, March 5, at First United Methodist Church in Clovis.
Jay was born in Clovis on April 12, 1963, and spent most of his life here. Jay graduated from Clovis High School (1981) and from NMSU (1985) with a B.B.A. in Finance. He started working at Sunwest Bank in Clovis as a teller in 1986. He married Deana Keslar on May 16, 1986, and they have one son, Michele Allan. Jay worked his way up to the position of vice president of the bank. Following his career at the bank, he furthered his career as a property manager with Arno Massey at Western Mortgage (now Western Management).
In 1999, the opportunity arose and he purchased Landmark Title, Inc. Son Michele joined him in the business in 2015. They purchased Graham Abstract in Portales in January.
Jay was very active in the Clovis community. He was past president of the Clovis Chamber of Commerce and the New Mexico Land Title Association. He volunteered and served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross Zia Chapter from 1994 to 2001. He was a founding member of Ag 50 and Chairman of the Chamber's BNSF Committee and a lifelong member of the Committee of 50. Jay was a big supporter of the Clovis agricultural community and rodeo events. He was an active member of the Clovis Rotary Club and First United Methodist Church. Jay loved hunting and yardwork, but most of all, he loved his family, his friends, his animals and his life. He was a true friend to all and always gave more than he took.
Jay was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Emmett and Virginia Kay Jones Neff. He is survived by wife, Deana and son, Michele (Dawn); grandson, Landyn Neff of Ruidoso, NM; siblings, Nikki McGalliard (Jeff) of Quakertown, PA, Robert Neff (Denise) of Edgewood, NM, David Neff of Clovis and Maryl Neff of Amarillo; nieces, Amanda McGalliard (Tyler) of Quakertown, PA, Stephanie Neff of Hurst, TX, and Alisa Sandoval of Albuquerque; nephews, Stewart Neff of Clovis, Anthony Chavez (Theresa) of Albuquerque, Mathew Gonzales of Albuquerque, Philip Gonzales of Albuquerque and Samuel Eaton of Clovis; along with cousins in New Mexico, Texas, California, Idaho, Washington, Florida and Alaska.
Robert Neff, Stewart Neff, Jeff McGalliard, Gary Kibbe, Randy Harris and Brett Johnson will be serving as Pallbearers.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Dr. David Stalker, David Neff, Kurt Rowley, Richard Rowley, Buddy Bennett, Joe Bennett, Jerry Cass, Bob Burch, Sid Strebeck, Jeff Jorde, Cary Crist, Stan Fury, George Krattiger, Larry Whitlock, Brad Paro, Kent Carruthers, Jim Abacherli, Lee Malloy, Marion Rutter, Hal Greig, Dave Richards, Ribble Holloman, John Snowberger, Teddy Hartley, Tom Hartley, Barbara Lovelace, Chris Wood, Stacey Martin, Stephen Whittington, Dr. Stephen Motsko and Tyler Dervrich will be serving as honorary Pallbearers, as will all of the dear friends and associates that have touched Jay's life over the years.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Rotary Foundation, PO Box 512, Clovis, NM 88101, or to The Lighthouse Mission, 407L Casillas Blvd., Clovis, NM 88101.