Even though we said goodbye earlier today you will not be forgotten. We took our CPO instructor together 14 years ago and I began to learn so much about aquatics at that time. I was honored and humbled when you asked me to teach with you when your formed Maxey Aquatics. My thoughts were how could I possibly contribute to classes with you. We taught many classes together, then I was once again honored when you submitted my name and sponsored me to become an AFO instuctor. I truly learned more about the field every time we taught together. I watched you with the disease and only hoped and dreamed you would beat it. I know you are at peace now and in a truly better place. I cherish all the classes we taught together and the friendship we had over the years. You will be missed and I will continue to pass along the knowledge I learned from you and your stories.

God Bless you my friend

Brad Anderson

So many stories … I met Jeff while working in aquatics in Colorado. It was a CPRA meeting as I introduced myself as the new aquatic director for North Jeffco. I remember how quickly I was welcomed by everyone, especially Jeff. He was one of the most open people I have known. He was always quick to return a call or to offer a hand when needed. Jeff was a sponge for information on aquatics. It was his passion and I have never seen him happier than tweaking ozone generators, standardizing chemical controllers, or puzzling over an adjustment that did not produce the expected results. His curiosity and willingness to share what he had learned was infectious and I know he passed along that passion to his pool school students. My proudest moment in our professional relationship was when he presented me an award when he served on the CPRA Board. He called me his friend and his mentor. That honor was higher than any other award I have received.

I have so many distinct memories; TGI Fridays and Lee Juhl putting his leg prosthesis on his head with Jeff laughing so hard I thought he was going to pass out; the look on his face as he showed me his emerald green pool in Thornton (you know, that wrinkled brow and crooked smile look he would show when he was stumped on a problem); the constant avoidance of the AI (enough said on that one); eating hot wings at lunch at BW3 by the Meyers Pool in North Jeffco and talking about life; dinner at Jeff and Kim’s (a much less complicated time of life); when he won the CPRA Secretary election when running against me (he thought I would be mad that he beat me); his incredible tolerance of a rather arrogant co-instructor one AFO class; his pool operator disaster stories of his early professional career (I still use his stories in my classes – they are the best!).

Jeff was a great friend. We both lost jobs together and it did not hurt our relationship. If we had not talked in months we would meet up and it was like it was yesterday. He always wore his heart on his sleeve and it took very little effort to find out what was troubling him. Jeff loved his friends, he loved his family, and he loved his work.

We last spoke around February at the National Aquatic Management School. I watched him present from the back of the room and he was totally alive in sharing and motivating his students. I smiled. I will now always remember him framed in that moment – giving and caring for others. I miss you my friend. So many stories of Jeff, so many stories …

John F. Whitmore

Jeff,

My Brother In Law, my friend! “I love you, Brother!” I am going to miss hearing that. I love you too, man! God loves you, Heather loves you, your children love you and your family and friends love you too..…we all love you! I loved your intelligence, your wit, your friendly smile, your informed and intelligent conversation, your ability to articulately debate a point counter point on about any subject you can think of, your love of children, your love of friends and family, your knowledge of sports, your great advice you always gave others, your acceptance of others and on and on. You are a great man and a wonderful friend.

It was a disease…… I pray for your family and friends and all others who suffer from this disease. I know you are in heaven and finally in peace with yourself physically, spiritually and emotionally. I am happy for you and sad for the rest of us that will miss you so much.

Love You, Brother!

Mike Zimmer

Jeff was a caring person, who gave unselfishly of himself, his time, and his resources. He had a happy room-filling personality and a perpetual smile. He loved his family, his dog, his friends, and his God. He embraced and had infinite toleration for people from all faiths, all cultures, all races, all abilities, and all differences. He was wonderfully opinionated, especially about issues where he felt there was unfairness and ignorance. He was a joy as a baby, a toddler, a chubby-faced school boy, a young man, a college hellion, and as an adult. His was a special much-loved son, brother, uncle, nephew, and friend. We enjoyed every phase of his life. We miss him terribly and we always will.

Mom and Dad Hartenbach

I Thought of You Today

I thought of you with love today but that is nothing new.

I thought about you yesterday and days before that too

I think about you in silence and I often speak your name

All I have are memories now and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is my keepsake with which I’ll never part

God has you in His keeping, I have you in my heart.

Love you son,

Patti

A Father’s Memories

Share for a moment and, if you can, visualize with me these sweet and loving memories of Jeffrey.

• The doctor who told his mother on 8/29/67 “don’t deliver between 7 and 8 PM” because that is the last TV episode of “The Fugitive” and we want to watch it!
• Kindergarten and our concerns of him crossing the busy street safely to get to elementary school.
• The water he loved so much and playing blind tag in the pool.
• The car ride from California to Colorado to start knew beginnings with a flatulent dog and a drugged cat.
• The Little League baseball and football games and little legs that carried him around the field, helmet flopping on his head.
• The look on his face while on vacation in Hawaii when he was told how to take the sting out of a sea urchin’s poison.
• Sleeping on the floor at grandma’s house.wy
• The words, ” Mom, did you see that?” when a man wearing only hiking boots and a back-pack passed us on a narrow Hawaiian Trail.
• Watching his brothers “pave the way” to some of life’s special treasures.
• The excitement in his eyes when he was boogie bording the waves over the coral heads at Hawaii’s Kahala shoreline.
• Changing inner direction from the norm and using song and theater to express his love of music.
• The early morning splash to retrieve Patti’s favorite fishing lure that he promised he wouldn’t lose at Lake Powell.
• His first encounter in Florida with a 1200 pound Manatee when he was certified for open-water scuba diving.
• The hours of bliss spent with him when we added John Denver’s music to his video of diving with the Manatee.
• The first breakthrough of the cornice of snow on a Utah mountaintop on his first snowmobile ride.
• The smile on his face when he won one of the games we played on a winter’s night by the fireplace in Idaho.
• Victory at slalom skiing on glass smooth water at Lake Martin, Alabama..
• The only time he felt he could tell me, “Shut up Dad and lie down!” when I told him I could ski down the mountain on one leg after I broke the other.
• His love of children and the time he shared with them.
• Playing the most sophisticated instrument in the “Colorado Family Air Band” at Christmas in Alabama.
• Trying to master the wind while windsurfing in the Caribbean during a family barefoot cruise.
• Notice his love of water, in play, his work and his world. What a joy to have him for a son.
• At his grandmother’s memorial he sang, ” There are Holes in the floor of heaven”. Now he is looking through those same holes looking down on those he loved .

God please comfort our son now and give him peace. We will always love you, Jeffrey.

Jeff, what can I say…… you will be forever missed by everyone that ever had the pleasure of having you in their lives. I was blessed to meet you at my very first National Aquatic Conference (NAC) and you were one of the people that “took me under your wings” and showed me the ropes! (thanks for always keeping an eye on me so that I never ended up with the A.I.)! Although I remember the time that we delivered it to you in a pizza box…. now… that was hilarious! LOL ~ The memories that I have of you are so amazing! The in depth conversations that we always had regarding pools, helping me study for my AFO Instructor Certification, dancing at Polyesters in San Antonio and just being you! You brought a smile to my face every time I saw you and made me laugh so many times that I cannot count! I’m sorry that I was never able to learn “SNAPS” ~ but, you did try, didn’t you?! I will miss you and look forward to the day when I get to see you again! My thoughts and prayers are with your family and many friends who are shedding many tears right now…… We all love you and will share many memories for the rest of our lives! Just know that you touched the lives of so many!!!!

Juliene Hefter

I met Jeff in November 2009, on my first night at Parker Valley Hope- a drug and alcohol rehab center where we were both patients. Right off the bat, Jeff befriended me. He reached out to me when I was in a pretty bad way and, through humor, compassion and wisdom, made a rough time a lot better. I never expected to laugh so much, much less make a friend. His example and much of what he shared with me has helped keep me sober for over two years now. I am really saddened to know that he has passed. I’d like to make sure his family knows that, though he lost his battle in this life, I am confident that he found peace.

Rick S. Chastain
Portland, OR

Dearest Jeff,

I hope and pray you have finally found the peace you had so desperately been searching for. Thank you for the wonderful years together. I am so blessed to have shared a significant part of your life as your wife. You are such an amazing, gentle, intelligent, and truly good person. I miss you and will always love you.

Here are some memories and stories we shared…only you will “get” some of them.

• Broccoli Juice
• Alameda Pool- where we met…thanks to Foothills. Great memories!
• Secret love notes in our planners
• Look! Joe! Its Joe!
• “Do you think they know someone’s in that box?”
• Phoenix! The best dog ever! I’m so glad you get to be with her again. Give her a kiss and hug for me.
• Thanks for those long nights helping me how to figure out chemical dosages, filter surface area, number of gallons in a pool.
• Tubing down The Platte…
• Catamaran netting on the jungle cruise on our honeymoon.
• Water skiing on Mcconaughy and times at my grandparents farm. My parents and I were just laughing about your awesome water skiing stunt! LOL!
• Meeting the Wheaton brothers on our cruise.
• CPRA Outstanding New Professional Awards…we had matching book ends!
• Tijuana Yatch Club
• Staff gatherings at Jodene Fowlers.
• Columbine United Church. Steve’s sermons. Youth group trips and meetings with Lori Hoffner.
• Mountain Fairs!
• Swing dancing- “IN!!”
• Thornton Christmas Party at Greystone Castle-” Wonderful Tonight”.
• Guitar and singing nights with Pat and Angel, Monte, Dave and Susan.
• Trip to the BVI with your dad and Pat and my parents.
• Your famous AFO story flooding Carmody twice!
• Holiday meals at your mom’s with Scott, Doug, Anne, Kelsey, and Murphy.
• Nuggets game. Holiday Inn with Square and Heather…hot tub bath, pylons in the room!
• Macy’s Day parade. You were soaking wet but didn’t complain. Jim, Linda, gma Archer, mom and dad. Phantom of the Opera.
• Gma and Gpa Means 50th wedding anniversary
• Playing cards at my Gma and Gpa Means with Dan and Kathy, mom and dad, Gma Archer. “Blue!”
• “Please step away from the plant. You are too close to the plant.”
• Snaps! We were good!
• Kelsey and Murphy’s births
• Taking Corinne swimming at Glennon Heights Pool.
• Building two houses
• Desperato
• “This film has been modified to fit your TV screen…”

After meeting Jeff & Kim on a fun Caribbean cruise in 1995 and then spending some time in CO with them, my brothers and I decided to move out to CO and enjoy them and other friends in great weather compared to MN. Soon after the move, a few of us decided to start a wheelchair softball team and we convinced Jeff to coach it along with my brother Joel. We had so much fun competing, learning more about life, becoming deeply involved with the Colorado Rockies organization and encouraging other people with disabilities to get out and enjoy life, becoming a team. So much laughter and great memories! Jeff’s involvement over the following years demonstrated his sincere heart for others as he played a huge role in coordinating the 1998 National Wheelchair Softball Tournament in Denver. What a significant impact he made on behalf of others. Other fond memories include a party at the Maxey household where we watched the Broncos beat the Steelers (at Pittsburgh no less!) to advance to the 1998 Super Bowl and then watching the Broncos beat the 14 point overdog Packers at our house two weeks later, the first Super Bowl victory for the Broncos!

It is now my hope and prayer that Jeff is now full of the joy, grace and peace in heaven that wasn’t fulfilled for him here on earth.

Tom Wheaton