Amanda Kristen Neff, age 32 of Hudson WI and formerly of Luck WI, died peacefully on March 30, 2011 at the University of Minnesota-Fairview Medical Center, surrounded by her family and friends. Amanda had bravely battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for 7 years. Amanda was born on April 16, 1978 in New Richmond, WI to John and Marie (Wagner) Loughlin.
Amanda was a 1996 graduate of Luck High School, Luck, WI and joined the United States Air Force in September of 1996. She attended Basic Training, the Law Enforcement Academy and CATM Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, where she graduated with Honors . Amanda served as a Law Enforcement/Security Forces member in the Minnesota 148th Fighter Wing of Duluth for 3 years before transferring to the 125th Fighter Wing of Jacksonville, FL. During her time in the Air Force, Amanda was deployed to Anderson Air Force base in Guam, Patrick Air Force Base FL for a special assignment to the Thunderbirds, Duke Air Field, FL, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base NC, and Kunsan Air Force Base in The Republic of Korea.
Amanda was awarded the Airman of the Year Award in 1997 for the 148th Squadron, 1999, the marksmanship award known as the Diamond Sharp Award, the 1999 Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal for being instrumental in saving the life of an infant that had stopped breathing and the Florida Commendation Medal in 2001 before being discharged from the Air Force in 2005 due to her medical condition.
On November 21, 2001, Amanda was united in marriage to Terry Lee Neff Jr. of Orlando, FL. Their union in marriage was blessed with three children, Hannah 9, Nathaniel 7, and Lauren 6.
In 2006, the Neffs relocated back to Amanda’s native Wisconsin where she had loved skiing, camping, scrapbooking, donating time to her children’s school, Trinity Lutheran Academy in Hudson, participating in the food drives at their church The Harbor in Hastings, MN and volunteering at The Mission soup kitchen in St. Paul. She will be greatly missed and continues to inspire her family and community by her undying belief in God, Family and Country.
Amanda was preceded in death by grandparents, John and Ardell Loughlin, grandfather, Wendell Wagner; and honorary parent, Papa Robert Schmidt. Amanda is survived by her husband, Terry Neff Jr. of Hudson WI; children Hannah, Nathaniel, and Lauren; parents John and Marie Loughlin of Luck WI; brother Steve McLeod of Amery WI; sisters Bridget (Bryan) Relander of North Hudson, and Sabrina (Kyle) Boettcher of St. Croix Falls WI; grandparents, James and Margaret Harstad of Mesa AZ; and extended family and friends.
Funeral Services for Amanda Neff will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 8th at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1205 Sixth Street, in Hudson. Burial with full military honors paying tribute to her service in our armed forces will be in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at church on Friday, and on Thursday, April 7th from 4:00-7:00 PM at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home, 520 S. 11th Street in Hudson.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to her children, and may be sent to The Neff Children Fund, PO Box 902, Hudson WI 54016, or directed to the family through the Trinity Church website at http://trinityhudson.org/church/2009/05/27/online-giving-and-payments/ , go to “Online Giving Form”, then select “Other”, and enter “The Neff Children Fund”. Services have been entrusted to the O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson, WI. 715-386-3725. www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com