Houston, TX - HOUSTON - Gordon L. Neff, Sr., a Terre Haute native most recently of Houston, passed away on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, surrounded by his family.

Gordon was born at his grandparents' farm in Muncie, IN, in 1929, and was raised in Terre Haute.

He was an outstanding athlete, excelling in multiple sports. Gordon was a member of the 1947 Garfield High School basketball team which, after winning 31 straight games, lost to Shelbyville in the state championship game. His performance at the state finals and throughout the year earned him a spot on the Indiana All-State basketball team. Along with his teammate Ronnie Bland, Gordon earned 13 varsity letters in sports, a Vigo County record that still stands today.

Gordon attended Indiana University, earning a degree in education, and he played for the Hoosiers' basketball team. He later earned a master's degree in education from Indiana State University. Gordon was inducted in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach in 2005.

After college, Gordon served in the U.S. Air Force, both enlisted and as an officer, from 1952-1957. During this time, he met his future wife, Joan, then a nursing student at St. Anthony's Hospital. They were married in 1955.

After briefly working for his parents' business, he became a teacher and coach at Wiley High School from 1960-63. He was then selected as head basketball coach at Honey Creek High School, where he remained until it was converted to a junior high school in 1971. When Terre Haute North and South were opened in 1971, Coach Neff was selected to head the basketball program at South. In his nine seasons coaching there, South reached the Sweet 16 six times, and the Final Four three times, including a heartbreaking loss in the championship game in 1978 to Muncie Central. He took a break from coaching in 1980 for two seasons, followed by coaching stints at Terre Haute North and later in Cape Coral, FL. Gordon and Joan retired to Houston, TX.

Gordon was preceded in death by his wife, Joan (Feld) Neff, a registered nurse originally from Greencastle; and his parents, Jasper and Dorothy Neff. He is survived by his daughter Leslie Ballou of Houston, TX; his son, Gordon, Jr. (Cathy O'Donnell) of Laurel Park, NC; two grandsons, Christopher (Jaclyn) and Aaron Ballou; two great-granddaughters, Kayce Rae and Madison Ballou; his sister, Carole Vietti; a niece, Kimberly (Vietti) Holt; and three nephews, Michael, Bradley, and Brian Vietti.