Neher was born in Radnor, Indiana on July 25, 1892. His education took place at Rochester College, Manchester College, and Bethany Seminary. He was called to the ministry in 1914 and married in 1919. He served as pastor of the Eastwood and East Akron (N Ohio) congregations from 1927 to 1933 in the free ministry. He went on to pastor at Defiance, Poplar Ridge churches in Northern Ohio, Peoria, IL, and Michigan City, Indiana. From 1958-1961 he served in Pompano Beach, Florida where he retired to give all his time to Christian art which he began studying in 1929.
His long-cherished project - a series of murals depicting the history of the Church of the Brethren - became a reality in 1949 at Camp Mack. He had been commissioned to the project by the Regional Youth during a camping experience. It required four years to complete. He later collaborated with Lawrence Shultz to publish the murals and a written account in A Mural History of the Church of the Brethren.
In addition to this lasting tribute, his work lives on in a number of congregations where he also painted murals - often as a backdrop for the baptistry.
Source: The Church of the Brethren in Northeastern Ohio, Edgar G. Diehm
