Neff, David McDowell

David McDowell Neff, 59, of Topeka, Kan., formerly of Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, died Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at his home following a stroke. Private services will be held at a later date.

David was born Jan 2, 1952, in St, Louis, Mo., and adopted by Joseph and Evelyn Neff. He grew up in the St Louis area and moved to Denver, Colo., when he was a teenager. David became good friends with Fred Redmond and was known as a brother of the Redmond family. David married Glenda Fedders in October 1978 and they had one son born in Denver. The family moved to Cedar Rapids in 1982.

David was an active member of the Linn County Democrats and served as a delegate to the Iowa Democratic Central Committee in 1984-86. David and Glenda divorced and he moved to Des Moines. He married Janis Bowden in January 1990 and they later divorced in 1997.

David enjoyed traveling the countryside, going to barbecue cook-offs, his sons' martial arts tournaments and visiting family and friends. He was honored to meet President Bill Clinton in Washington, D.C., in 1995. In Kansas, David was an advocate for people with disabilities and served on a local Independent Living Council. He met with Sen. Tom Harkin at the NCIL Conference in Washington, D.C., in 2007. David is remembered as a free spirit who enjoyed a good debate, had a keen memory for trivia and was a good salesman with his gift of gab.

Survivors include his son, Brock, daughter-in-law, Traci, and granddaughter, Zoe Neff, all of North Liberty; family and loved ones, Sherry Jabaay and Nola Bogossian of Orland Park, Ill., Charles Neff, Glenda Brislawn of Cedar Rapids, Janis Bowden of Des Moines; cousins; many e-mail friends; and his life long friend and brother, Fred Redmond of Seward, Neb.

David was preceded in death by his parents.

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