We had the honor of serving Jeff during the late Spring and early Summer of 2011. At 47, Jeff was battling Lymphoma of the CNS. He had been married to his wife Gail for 23 years and was a dad to two children; his son, Jeffery (19) and his daughter, Virginia (15).
At our first meeting his spirits were high. We laughed and cried as he entertained us with stories about his life, his children, and his faith. It was one of the first times that a teenager sat in on the interview – typically it is thought that the parent(s) may speak more openly without younger ears around, for this dad, that was not the case. The connection between father and daughter was remarkable. Jeff recounted moments that he treasured with his children as his daughter lay bedside listening to her dad speak of how proud he was of her. Truly an amazing moment to bare witness to.
Because Jeff shared such great details with us, we were able to make several unique treasures for the family.Gifts for the future, a video recording, and thumb print charms are a few of the items that were created. He told us a story about a time that his daughter had written something on her bathroom mirror, this led to an unforgettable conversation between the two of them – to help Virginia hold on to that moment we had a mirror etched with the same phrase and Bible verse that she had written on her mirror.
Both of Jeff’s children are musically gifted. His son had written a song about Jeff’s struggle. As Jeff played it for us, he beamed with pride. Jeff wished that his son could have the chance to record it professionally, so as a surprise to him, Jeffery and Virginia went to a local studio and did just that.
Jeff shared his belief in the Lord with us. When asked about his most treasured possession…he answered “his salvation”. Jeff went home to be with the Lord on June 30, 2011.