Jeff spent the first 14 years of his life in Seward, Nebraska, living on his grandparents’ farm before moving into town. He and his brothers thrived in the freedom of rural life—exploring the farm, riding bikes with friends, playing basketball and football, and attending church together as a family. He later moved to Hemingford, Nebraska, for high school, where he became the point guard on the basketball team and was active in choir and theater. During the summers, he and his best friend ran a small landscaping business. He also took great pride in restoring his 1969 Camaro.

In December 1983, shortly after graduating at age 17, Jeff enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Over the course of a distinguished 24-year career, he served aboard the cruiser USS Worden, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, and the dock landing ship USS Portland. He rose to serve as Command Master Chief of Strike Fighter Squadron 34—the “Blue Blasters”—and later as the senior enlisted leader of Carrier Air Wing 7 at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia. While deployed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the North Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Jeff died of natural causes on June 20, 2009.

His legacy lives on through his wife, Amy; children, Tayler, Paige, and Josh; and the many family members, friends, and fellow service members whose lives he touched.