John C. Neff, the original chief financial officer and later president and chief executive officer at Hospital Corp. of America, died Wednesday of cancer. He was 85.

A Chicago native, Neff served three years in the Army Air Force as a bombardier/navigator and completed 35 missions in B-17s with the 97th Bomb Group in Italy. For his service, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three Bronze Clusters.