Jeff Wilcox, A Long Time Friend

Today I was thinking about old friends. Recently I'd gotten back in touch with Steve White, (childhood friend and fellow writer) so today I thought I'd make an effort to contact some others. Using the fantastic Google search I discovered that unbeknownst to me, I'd lost one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jeff Wilcox.

Jeff and I have been friends since meeting in Elementary School and all through Boy Scouts and then into High School. I moved away but we'd kept in touch via email. But things happen and I hadn't heard from him for a few years. I am sorry I didn't get the urge to check up on him sooner. Jeff was a great friend who shared years of jumping creeks with our bikes, firecrackers, and campfires with me. He will be missed.

I got this from The Jackson County Examiner...

"Jeffrey K. 'Jeff' Wilcox
Jeffrey Kendall "Jeff" Wilcox, 35, died Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005, at his boyhood home after a valiant two-year battle with brain cancer. During his journey, he showed us what true strength and courage look like.

Jeff was born December 18, 1969, in Hollywood, Calif., and grew up in California, North Carolina and Blue Springs, Mo. He attended Franklin Smith Elementary School and Blue Springs High School, where he was Senior Class President in 1988. He was a member of the National Honor Society, the tennis and wrestling teams, and was an Eagle Scout. He attended Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., where he graduated in 1992 with a chemistry major, and was a member of the Alpha Phi Gamma fraternity. He spent his senior year studying in France in Aix-en-Provence. After graduation, he received a Rotary Scholarship to attend the University of Sydney in Australia, where he obtained a master's degree in environmental engineering.
In 1998, he married Stephanie Russell of St. Louis, Mo., and they settled in California, living in Los Angeles, Palo Alto and San Francisco over the last seven years. There, he enjoyed beach volleyball, tennis, surfing, cycling, jogging and extensive traveling. They visited Australia, France, Spain, China, Japan, Bali, Fiji, Guam, Mexico and Hawaii in recent years. They attended Cornerstone Christian Church in San Francisco, where Jeff volunteered with summer Bible school.

Jeff was employed in his family's business, Ken Wilcox Associates Inc., conducting environmental testing. He was internationally recognized, having been involved in projects in Europe, South America and Australia. He presented papers at seminars for state and local regulators on leak detection testing and validation, and wrote technical articles for Petroleum Science and Technology. He formed his own company, MyTankGauge Technologies, LLC, in 2001, developing a novel Internet-based method for fuel monitoring. Jeff was thrilled when MyTankGauge was mentioned in his favorite publication, Wired Magazine. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Kenneth and Elizabeth Miller.
He is survived by his two sons, Skylar Wilcox, 23 months, and Asher Wilcox, 2 months; his wife, Stephanie Russell; his brother, Craig Wilcox and wife, Precious; his parents, Ken and Kathy Wilcox; his grandparents, Harold and Eleanor Wilcox; as well as a host of aunts, uncles and cousins.

Jeff was a man who never met anyone he didn't like. He was outgoing and popular with many friends and maintained friendships with many people around the world. He participated in the 2005 Relay for Life where, in his honor, the team raised more than $20,000 for cancer research. He will be greatly missed by family and friends from all over the world.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the First United Methodist Church, 301 S.W. Woods Chapel Road, Blue Springs. Burial will follow at Blue Springs Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Webb-Freer Funeral Home, Blue Springs, (816) 229-2101. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jeff's honor may be made to the Jeff Wilcox Memorial Fund for his children's education, in care of the First United Methodist Church, 301 S.W. Woods Chapel Road, Blue Springs, Mo. 64015."