By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The Bucyrus community lost an icon this weekend. Helen Picking Neff, 99, died Sunday.
“It’s a huge blow to the city,” Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser said. “We knew that she was getting up there, that this day was coming but we’re so sad when it did.”
“There’s going to be a huge hole to fill,” Reser continued, “not just for her personally – she was such a good person and benefactor to the city – but that line of family went back a long time, pretty much all the way back to the history of Bucyrus. You think about that: how are we ever going to replace her? I don’t know. Hopefully somebody will step up.”
Reser noted that Neff was extremely generous with her money, supporting numerous local charities and the Bucyrus Little Theatre.
“Her efforts will be felt in this community for a long time,” Reser said. “She was a magnificent woman.”
Neff was born in Bucyrus on Oct. 17, 1915 to Ella Maude Colter Picking and Robert Baltzly Picking. She was the granddaughter of Lillie Baltzly Picking and Charles F. Picking, a former mayor of Bucyrus, and the great-granddaughter of Mary Myers Picking and Daniel Picking, the founder of D. Picking and Company.
Neff graduated from Bucyrus High School in 1933. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri from 1935 to 1937 and was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Speech and a Master of Arts in Theatre from Northwestern University. Neff taught at Portsmouth High School from 1939 to 1941 and at Northwestern University from 1941 to 1943 under the direction of stage lighting pioneer Professor Theodore Fuchs. While there her students included Charlton Heston.
Neff also served in the American Red Cross as a field representative and as Director of College Activities in the Eastern Region between 1943 and 1949. After her Red Cross stint, Neff taught and served as head of the Speech and Theatre Department at Gulf Park College in Mississippi.
Neff returned to Ohio after her teaching career and served as managing director of The Mansfield Playhouse from 1969 to 1973. She became owner and head of D. Picking in 1983 after her father’s death and oversaw factory activities at the family company, such as tours, local orders, and worldwide shipping. She was the fourth generation of the Picking family to lead the business. Last year the company celebrated 140 years in operation.
Neff married Robert Clark Neff in 1975. He preceded her in death in 2007. She is survived by her stepdaughter Cynthia Lee Neff (Steven) Schifer, stepson Robert Clark (Mary Jo Allan) Neff, Jr., and step-grandson Alexander Clark Neff.
Neff was also a longtime supporter and director at the Bucyrus Little Theatre. A tree was dedicated in her honor last October at Picking Park.
She also served on the board of directors for the Bucyrus Area YMCA, the Oakwood Cemetery Association, the Second National Bank and the Society Bank (Bucyrus). She served on the planning committee responsible for the development of the Bucyrus Area Community Foundation (now known as the Community Foundation for Crawford County), the Bucyrus City Schools Strategic Planning Committee, and the Committee for School/Industry Participation Planning. Neff was also a member of the Crocus and New Era Clubs and the Friends of the Library.
Wise Funeral Service will be handling the arrangements. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18 at the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. John Cory officiating. The family will gather with friends from 1 – 2 p.m. prior to the service and a private burial will take place in Oakwood Cemetery.