Jeffrey Nelson Jay
August 25, 1952 ~ November 23, 2014
On November 23, 2014, Jeffrey Nelson Jay passed away at his home in Plainfield, Indiana. Jeff was surrounded by loved ones, who all contributed to his care since his diagnosis of a brain tumor in January of this year.
Jeff was born on August 25, 1952 in Sheridan, Indiana. He was the first son of James Nelson Jay and Mary Kathleen (Anders) Jay. The family lived in Decatur Township and were members of Valley Mills Friends Meeting.
Jeff graduated in 1970 from Decatur Central High School, where he is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame at Earlham College and the Basketball Hall of Fame at Hanover College, where he earned his degree in 1974. He earned his MBA from Miami of Ohio and had a 30-year career in sales and clinical research at Eli Lilly.
Jeff and his wife, Brenda, were married on August 11, 1979. Soon thereafter, they became the proud parents of two daughters, Amy and Laura.
Jeff was the perfect father, always putting his family before his career and supporting his daughters (and nieces and nephews) in everything they did. He was an active softball and basketball coach, and he could always be heard cheering from the sidelines at tennis matches and—miraculously—throughout the entire running course during cross country meets. He never missed one of his girls’ events. His infectious smile and exceptional sense of humor made him a well-loved coach, colleague, and friend to many. Also a dedicated fundraiser, he and the Jaywalkers raised over $650,000 for cystic fibrosis research.
He was preceded in death by his father, James Nelson Jay, and his sister, Jennifer Born Funcheon. Jeff is survived by his mother, Kathleen; his brothers, Gregg (Jill), Jim (Marsha), and David (Lisa); his wife, Brenda (Crider) Jay; his daughters Laura (David Ballinger) and Amy (Gavin Stephens); and his granddaughters, Ruby Jay Ballinger and Evelyn Jay Stephens.
A calling will be held on Saturday, November 29, 2014, 1 to 5 p.m., at Carlisle – Branson Funeral Service & Crematory, in Mooresville, Indiana. The memorial service will take place on Sunday, November 30, 2014, 2 p.m. in West Newton Friends Meeting, 6800 S. Mooresville Rd., Indianapolis, Indiana 46221. Burial will follow at West Newton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Indiana Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1261 West 86th Street, Suite E-2, Indianapolis, IN, 46260. Visit www.carlislebranson.com to share a favorite memory, view Jeff’s Life Story video, or to sign the online guest registry.
The immediate family would like to offer a special thanks to all of the family and friends whom we leaned on heavily during this difficult time. Your love for Jeff was evident through your caring and loving actions. Thank you.
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Beautiful video, how precious.
There is a special man, from a great family, that has such a loving family. He is at peace but will be missed by so many. Love you Jeff
Great video of a great person and friend…you are missed…Al Personett Blessings to all family and friends during this time…May God give you peace and understanding!
A beautiful tribute for a very special man .
Wonderful video. You at peace now. You were a great friend! I will miss you Jeff
What beautiful tribute and montage of Jeff’s life…very moving.
What a beautiful tribute. What a beautiful family. I looks like Jeff lived a very full and happy life. Even in high school he was a kind, friendly, and polite person. I know he will be desperately missed, but there are obviously a lot of precious memories to be had. Please accept my deepest sympathy to the entire family. You will be in my prayers. Fellow 1970 DCHS graduate, Rosemary Blankenship Price
Such a beautiful memorial video. I can feel the love and hear the laughter captured in each photograph. Jeff’s smile lit up the room and he had a special way of making people feel welcome, wherever we were. My thoughts and prayers are with you and all the Jay families!! Love, E
What a beautiful video of a wonderful man and his family. I know he will be truly missed by all here, but heaven just received another angel. Linda Dunmoyer
This video was everything that made me love Jeff the first time I met him, so many years ago. Mark had told me what a great guy he was and it was all true. I could tell he loved family, friends and most of all ‘life’. He had a smile that could light up a room and the sincerity to go with it. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video of a truly special man. He will be missed. Sincerely, Dana Yager
Love and will miss you, my friend. Your smile will always shine in my heart. Heart felt blessings to your family, and may God bring them comfort. Vicki Taylor, Elanco
So sorry to learn of Jeff’s passing. Our sincere condolences to Jeff and Brenda’s family. Always remember Jeff as a great competitor and teammate and a good guy. You will be missed. Buddy & Cindy Shrum
Sending love and prayers to all of you. May your wonderful memories comfort you through this difficult time.
His picture is the way I will always remember Jeff. Smiling from ear-to-ear and ever-ready with a big hello. We will miss him terribly and think of him lovingly!!
May God Bless the entire family. I hadn’t seen Jeff for years but we went to high school together. I remember him as always ready to help if you didn’t understand something .He was one of the funniest people I knew. But equally as sober … You knew this guy was going places . He was so intelligent and it just seemed so easy for him. It all came so naturally. May the good Lord guide the Jay family thru these rough times. You all should be very proud. Sharon (Judd) Stewart
I knew Jeff and his family when we were kids in Valley Mills. I’m so glad we got to see him/them again in September at the Chicken Barbeque. He was a very special person. Always wearing that big smile. He sure lived a good life. It seems like he appreciated his life and the people in it and made the most of it from beginning to end. He’s one of those people I’ll never forget. To the family: my heart goes out to each of you as you miss his physical presence and celebrate his life.
Brenda, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet you and Jeff. I will always remember his friendliness, love for his family, and positive attitude. Wishing peace for you and your daughters during this difficult time. Jonelle Redelman
What a wonder he was! We were Lambdas at Hanover and I can recall watching him with envy, studying Sunday nights to the gray light of a black and white TV screen, beer and cigarette in hand, to ace the test on Monday. A positive energy guy who will be missed.
I wld just like to say Uncle Jeff that I will never forget how ur presence lit up the room when u walked in on family occasions and how u were there when I was growing up with u and Aunt Brenda and my dear cousins Amy and Laura. Welcome to the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. And of course IU!!! :))) U let us watch that repeatedly. U will always have a special place in my heart Uncle Jeff. U were the one that loved the kids as much as everyone in our wonderful family. U made us all laugh with ur very outgoing persona…and we will forever keep ur Xmas sweatshirt alive!!! As well as in our hearts and memories! Love u Uncle Jeff…
Sending thoughts of peace and comfort to Brenda, Gregg, Jill, and all the Jay family. Nina Langley
Our sincerest sympathies go out to all the Jays. Jeff was a very special man and will be missed. We are thankful to have known him. May God give you comfort and bless you through this most difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Hugs to all. Love Dan and Mare Gillman
Sincere sadness for your loss of such a super guy. I graduated with Jay in 1970 and he was always quite special. Sincerely, Connie Strakis Vance
Brenda, Amy, Laura, Ruby, Evelyn, Gavin, Dave & entire Jay Family I only had Jeff in my life for a short time but knew from the moment I met him, he was a sincere, kind, gentle man who loved life and his family. I will truly miss him but will see him thru his adorable girls and beautiful wife that he adored. He is at peace now and watching over his girls and family from above. Prayers and hugs to u all
Dear Brenda, Laura, Amy and all of you Jays ~ I was so sad to learn of Jeff’s diagnosis earlier. You have been and will remain very much in my heart and prayers as you work your way through this huge loss. All of you are such a dear and admirable family. I send my love. Mary Dooley
Rest in peace, my dear, dear friend. Praying for strength for your family and friends.
Dear Kathleen–so sorry to hear of your loss of Jeff. It was hard enough for me to lose him to Hanover College, but how much more in this. He was a wonderful athlete and teammate at Earlham–they couldn’t hit him in baseball as a great pitcher on a great team and they couldn’t stop him in basketball (and neither could we when he was at Hanover). His second year we played a pre-season scrimmage at Miami University, Ohio, and they won their conference that year–the Mid-American (MAC). We played them 3 20-minute college halves and beat them 2 out of 3. Jeff scored 20 points in one of the 20-minute segments. As I recall he was 8-0 as a pitcher his only baseball season there. You and James were excellent parents and I remember how you followed him in his endeavors. It was always good to see you. Blessings to you and all of the family, Del Harris, former Earlham College coach, Plainfield Quaker player, and NBA coach.