Jeff Blevins Health Emergency Fundraiser

Jeff and Melodee Blevins have been longtime friends, going all the way back to their ministry work in the 1970s at Indiana University.

 

 

Jeff is someone who dedicated his life to God in serving others locally and globally for decades as a pastor. He went home to be with the Lord on October 14, 2021.  We had set up this GoFundMe page to help with the medical crisis he faced in the final weeks of his life, and the response has been overwhelming.

Jeff had been dealing with liver issues since 2013, and  was added to a liver transplant list in 2021. He was working fervently to maintain and improve his health to best position himself for a successful transplant, if the opportunity and donor organ presented itself.
 
In September, he had an accident while at home, falling and fracturing his hip. He completed a successful surgery, and was placed in a rehabilitation facility. On September 13th, while at the facility, he had another significant fall and sustained a fracture to the opposite hip. He never recovered from that second fall.

 

 

 

 

 

Below is text of an amazing obituary that appeared in the Estes Park News:

Jeffrey (Jeff) Mark Blevins of Estes Park, CO, passed away on October 14, 2021, following a long illness. He was 68 years old. Jeff is survived by his wife Melodee (Hampton) Blevins, his children Noelle Regan, Jordan Blevins, Rory (Meredith) Blevins, grandson Brecken Blevins, his mother Barbara Blevins and brother Jon Blevins. He was preceded in death by his father Russell Blevins.

Jeff was born in Macomb IL on June 22, 1953, to Russell and Barbara Blevins. He graduated from Macomb High School in 1971, Western Illinois University with a degree in Education in 1975, and Southwestern Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 1986.

Jeff and Melodee were married on June 29, 1974.

To put it simply, Jeff was an amazing man. The evidence is starkly clear – in the love he showed Melodee throughout their 48 years together, the pride he had in his three children – Noelle, Jordan, and Rory (Meredith) – and his grandson, Brecken. Through his ministry he impacted numerous lives during a lifetime’s dedication to serving the Lord, he had committed his life to on a picnic bench beneath the shadows of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Though Jeff was known to engage in questionable behaviors such as telling terrible puns, devotedly following the St. Louis Cardinals through decades of ups and downs, and stockpiling coupons so he could eagerly anticipate photo deliveries from Shutterfly, no one could doubt his dedication to Jesus Christ and teaching others of God’s love.

Jeff began his life in the ministry by working, along with Melodee, with Campus Crusade for Christ on the campuses of the University of Virginia, the University of Indiana, and Colorado State University, touching many lives, and leading college students to their own ministry careers. From there, Jeff served in assistant pastor positions throughout northern Illinois before deciding to further his ministry opportunities in Valley View, Texas while attending and graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. In 1989 after being called to begin a new church in Illinois, Jeff moved his family to Springfield, Illinois, where he started and pastored at Western Oaks Baptist Church and then later at the Fellowship Church for a total of 27 years. Again, sensing a new call on his life, in 2012 Jeff’s life returned full circle, finding himself preaching in the shadow of Longs Peak at Allenspark Community Church in Colorado.

One of Jeff’s biggest ministries was his family. While one could have asked for a more loving dad or a better husband, it is highly doubtful one could be found on the face of this earth, as Jeff was an incredible embodiment of God the Father. Even more than the willingness to help his kids with their many moves, attendance at their sporting events and visits to their jobs, vacations packed with history and photography and fun, it was the overwhelming sacrificial love he gave each of them they will grieve most. And his love and dedication to Melodee, a partnership in existence since they first met as bright-eyed 16-year-olds in Macomb, Illinois, is an incredible example of faithful love, ‘til death do us part.

Even in his final days, Jeff’s commitment to the Lord was in evidence – each day he spoke of getting up to go to work and write another sermon. After a long struggle with liver disease, Jeff passed away in the early morning hours of 14 October 2021, his final sermon written, his final mountain climbed, and the life of a faithful servant rewarded with a “Well done.”

The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt sentiments of the many people from every walk of Jeff’s life who have expressed just what his life meant to them and how he touched them, taught them about Christ, and lived the model of what a Christian should be. Though his death leaves a hole in this world, the pieces of him that live on in the hearts, memories, and ministries of those whose lives he impacted over the 68 years his presence blessed this earth, his words and his example will continue to impact others for Christ far beyond his too-short life.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 6 at the Western Oaks Baptist Church in Springfield, IL. A memorial service will also be held in Estes Park, Colorado at a date yet to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to do so can donate to the Jeff Blevins Health Emergency Fundraiser through gofundme.com or directly to the family.