Michael J Nef

Sources

1. Michael J. Nef, Eckersell Funeral Home, December 13, 2025.
2. Michael J Nef Service , YouTube, December 19, 2025.
3. Michael Nef, NTS Maddog, December 21, 2007.

• 1. Michael J. Nef

  • 13 Dec 2025
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  • Eckersell Funeral Home

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  Michael J Nef
  January 13, 1950 — December 13, 2025
  Rigby, Idaho

  Michael J Nef was born January 13, 1950, in Rexburg, Idaho. His parents, Darrell J Nef and Verna May Bates Nef took their infant son home to their ranch near Leadore, Idaho. Mike spent the next eighteen years growing up on the ranch nestled at the foot of the mountains. His days were filled with riding horses, herding cows, milking, and a myriad of other chores necessary to keep a ranch functioning. He attended the Leadore School for all twelve grades. He played basketball and ran cross country and track. For his training, he would often run the eight miles from school to his home so he could arrive before the bus. That way he had more time to help his father on the ranch.

  After graduation, Mike attended a year at Ricks College, and then served a two-year mission in Argentina and Bolivia for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ten months of those two years were spent in the high mountain tops of Bolivia where the elevation was over 17,000 feet.

  At the close of his mission, Mike attended a second year at Ricks, graduating in May 1972 with his Associate in Industrial arts. That fall, he decided to return to college for another semester. Just before the semester began, he met Karla Cook at church when she was visiting relatives on her way to Ricks. He followed up on that meeting and the couple were sealed in the Logan LDS temple on January 19, 1973.

  Over the next several years, Mike worked as a rancher, water master, farmer, salesman, electrician, carpenter, and cabinet maker. From these jobs, he learned many skills which he used throughout his life to help his family and others. In 1987, he went to work at Ricks College in their carpenter shop. He was there for the transition to BYU-I and was employed for a total of twenty years. Since retiring, he continued to do use his skills to build decks, sheds, and perform a myriad of other handyman jobs. He also loved helping his children and other family members remodel and upgrade their homes.

  Mike was active in his church and held several Scouting positions. He also volunteered as a member of the District Cub Scout Roundtable Committee. During the last six years, Mike particularly enjoyed attending LDS temples, both locally and further afield.

  Family was very important to Mike. He was blessed with eight children [...] When they were young, Mike loved taking his family camping, skiing, hunting, and hiking. With his children, he was able to climb the Grand Teton five times, the Middle fourteen times, and the South three times. He also climbed Mt. Borah twice, Gunsight three times, and Diamond Peak several times. The highlight of his hiking experiences was two years ago when he went on a three-day backpacking trip with two sons, a daughter, and a granddaughter. And, although his gait was much slower, he went on a three-mile hike with two sons and a grandson just this past September.

  Mike was always a hard worker. He was willing to work odd jobs before and after his workdays at the college. This extra income gave his children the gift of having their mother stay at home with them as they were growing up. Mike, with the help of his wife, built the house they have lived in for 33 years, two spec houses, and a duplex. The duplex was completed in 2021. He has also flipped three houses and has done many remodel jobs for others.

  For the last eighteen months, Mike has battled cancer. However, he didn’t let it slow him down as he continued to spend time with his family, traveled to Church History sites, and took a dream vacation to Alaska. Finally, on December 13, 2025, Mike’s tired body succumbed to the dreaded disease. He is preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, [...]. He is survived by his wife of almost 53 years, [...], all eight of his children, thirty-seven grandchildren (with one more on the way), and three great-granddaughters. Although Mike will be missed, he leaves a great legacy of faith and repentance.

  Funeral services will be held Friday, December 19, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-North Boulevard Ward, located at 955 Memorial Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. A viewing will be held Thursday evening also at the church from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., and prior to the service Friday morning from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Interment will follow at the Annis Little Butte Cemetery.

• 2. Michael J Nef Service

  • 19 Dec 2025
  • News article
  • YouTube

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• 3. Michael Nef

  • 21 Dec 2007
  • News article
  • NTS Maddog

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  Michael Nef
  Posted: December 21, 2007 in work

  http://i30.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/NTSMadDog/Nef.flv

  I know it seems like all my posts are coming from the news media lately, but it seems like there has been a lot going on, that the news has been covering. This case was unfortunate, and i feel terrible for the victims. Why the judge gave Nef a 6 month sentence is beyond me, and I do hope he gets a harsher punishment when his 6 months is over.

  A local man is putting pressure on
  the state legislature to change sentencing requirements for sex
  offenders. David Bigelow hopes to help legislators create a law that
  would enforce mandatory minimum sentences for certain sex crimes.

  This
  comes after he says his neighbor, Michael Nef, was sentenced too
  leniently for one of the most atrocious sex abuse cases Jefferson
  County prosecutors have ever seen.

  Currently there are no
  mandatory minimum sentences for first time sex offenders like Nef in
  Idaho. There are only mandatory minimums for repeat offenders.

  This
  fall, Nef pleaded guilty to abusing two relatives for a period of 20
  years. He admits to genital to genital contact with a three year old,
  he also admits to videotaped sex with a 13 year old and perhaps the
  most disturbing admission, he forced his relative into sex with the
  family dog.

  Bigelow says, "This is an outrage, I think if people come to understand this, they too will be outraged."

  In
  November, Judge Brent Moss sentenced Nef to a retained jurisdication,
  meaning Nef will spend six months in prison and then Judge Moss will
  decide whether or not to place him on parole or in prison for the
  remaining life sentence.

  Bigelow says it’s ridiculous to give
  an offender like this the possibility to get out after six months. He
  says, "Every other sexual pervert in the hidden closet will see this
  and say, ‘it doesnt matter, ill be evaluated and released.’ Every
  little girl who’s been abused will say, ‘why should I come forward,
  what justice will be done?"

  At sentencing, Judge Moss said he
  decided on the retained jurisdiction because he didn’t feel like he had
  enough information about Nef. Judge Moss hopes the six months of
  evaluation will provide the information he needs for a more complete
  sentence.

  Since Nef’s sentencing, bigelow has accumulated
  newspaper clippings of other notable sentences, "A federal judge
  sentenced Michael Vick to 23 months in prison in dog fighting case,
  that doesn’t sound like common sense. It just doesn’t make sense, a
  man who fights dogs vs. a man who abused kids."

  Bigelow has
  printed out 500 petitions, hoping that thousands of local people will
  sign them and send a message to legislators that a retained
  jurisdiction isn’t the right sentence for people like Michael Nef. " I
  want to send a message that we will not tolerate in this society,
  judges slapping hands of sex offenders."

  Representative Dean
  Mortimer told Local News 8 on Thurday, "If theres an issue we need to
  work on, I want to help. I plan to get more information."

  Interestingly,
  right now Utah is seriously looking at implementing Jessica’s law which
  would require anyone convicted of raping a child to 25 years in prison.

  Nef’s retained jurisdiction is up on May 19th, 2008, after
  that he will serve the rest of his life sentence on probation or in
  prison.

  For more information on Bigelow’s petition, you can email David at davidbigelow49@msn.com.