PETER NEFF

1929 - 2021

NEFF Dr.Peter A. Neff, DDS (Age 91) Of Washington, DC, peacefully left this world on January 15, 2021. Born Panayiotis Andreas Nafpliotis in Cairo, Egypt in 1929, to Greek parents, he survived typhoid and tuberculosis in his teens to become the 100M dash champion at 20. Later that year, he left his parents and brother, George, to pursue The American Dream, with $24 and a few English words in his pocket. He made donuts at dawn and worked the steel mill at dusk to put himself through college in Ohio. From there, he served in the US Marines. And from there, to DC where he earned Masters in biochemistry and microbiology from George Washington University, and his DDS from Georgetown - while waiting tables at DC's Blackies House of Beef. He met Iris Chisholm in 1956 in the Roma Restaurant on Connecticut Ave - each on dates with others. A mutual friend chatted with Iris then saw Panayiotis and said hello. He whispered to her, "Forget this kid I'm here with. I'm going to marry her." Three years later he did. He soon became Dr Peter Andrew Neff, DDS - a professor and creator of the Department of Occlusion at Georgetown's dental school, his home for decades. He pioneered in TMJ dysfunction, writing books and lectured all over the world. People from far corners brought their pain to him - and he healed them all, whether nuns or royalty, by fixing their bite. He treated royal families and world leaders throughout the Middle East, and our nation's own leaders. Dr. and Mrs Neff raised two daughters, Theodora (Terri) and Athena, in a home full of curiosity, humility and faith. When students from around the world came to study under him, many lived in his home and became family. He could make his craft fascinating to anyone - a master storyteller in his seven fluent languages. Dr. Neff was the heart of the party. He lived, prayed and served big. He awoke with the sun, prayed on his knees, exercised religiously and maintained a strict diet. Very much a Greek, he was also a proud American - rarely without his signature cowboy boots. He believed that through discipline and hard work, anything was possible in America. And to give back, he freely gave his time, treatments and teaching to US veterans. Dr and Mrs Neff were Papou and Yiayia to Tyler, Pearl, Zachariah and Georgia Bea, whom they loved beyond measure. When he lost his beloved Iris in 2012, his lights began to dim. And on Friday, January 15, he peacefully let go of this world. He regained his mobility, his hands, his hearing, his language, his prodigious mind, his humor and his cowboy boots, and he found his wife on the Lord's dance floor. He is survived by his daughters, Terri and Athena; his grandchildren, Tyler, Pearl and Zachariah (Terri) and Georgia (Athena); nieces, Mary and Rena; cousins, godchildren, extended family and countless friends the world over. Due to the pandemic, the service will be closed to all but immediate family, but can be virtually attended via livestream on Friday, January 22 at 11 a.m. EST through Saint Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington, VA at http://www.saint-katherines.org/ [saint-katherines.org]. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to St Katherine's through their website. Due to the pandemic, the service will be closed to all but immediate family, but can be virtually attended via livestream on Friday, January 22 at 11 a.m. EST through Saint Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington, VA at http://www.saint-katherines.org/ [saint-katherines.org]. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to St Katherine's through their website.