Rebeccah Ann Neff

Rebeccah Ann Kinnamon Neff departed this life on June 14th, 2026. Born to Paul and Florence Kinnamon on Christmas Eve, 1939, Rebeccah grew up in rural Forsyth County, where after receiving a B.A. in English Literature, she began her teaching career. She went on to earn two graduate degrees, including a Ph.D. from Duke University, where she was a teaching fellow. In 1974 Rebeccah moved to Tehran, Iran, to take a position as professor of English Literature at Damavand College, where she met and married her husband of 49 years, Harry Max Neff.

After four years in Iran, Rebeccah followed Harry to Romania, where he was a Fulbright Teaching Fellow. Back in the US, they both taught, first in Northern Virginia, then Athens, Ohio. In 1984, they moved to Raleigh for Rebeccah to take an editing position in the Publications Division at SAS Institute, Inc. in Cary. Rebeccah was at SAS for nineteen years, moving from editing to managing.

During the early years of their retirement, Rebeccah and Harry experienced many travel adventures. House-sitting took them to Costa Rica and Calgary, as well as parts of England. At home, Rebeccah enjoyed gardening, cooking and reading.

Rebeccah was predeceased by her parents, her husband, and her beloved younger brother, Noel Kinnamon, an acclaimed manuscript scholar.

There will be no service. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Kismet Fund that Rebeccah and Harry established at the Community Foundation of Western NC, 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300, Asheville, NC 28803. Rebeccah's ashes will be scattered in the Carolina Memorial Sanctuary in Mills River, NC.