Support for Jeff's twin daughters Sofie and Alie

The photo above is of our dear friend and colleague Jeff Washington with his beloved daughters Alie and Sofie.

We are heartbroken to announce that on Sunday, January 12th, Jeff collapsed while bike riding with friends in the Columbia Gorge. As his friends and family collectively grieve his unexpected death, many have asked how they can help.

A small team of friends and Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) volunteers are working together to organize support for Jeff’s daughters as they begin to navigate the world without their dad. Already costs not covered by insurance are adding up. You can donate any amount ($5 or more) and any contribution, large or small, is deeply appreciated. Helping with the financial burden will provide Jeff’s daughters the space to focus on grieving and healing from this tragic loss.

Plans are being made to hold a ‘Celebration of Life’ in late February or early March near Oregon City. We will update this page as soon as we find and secure a venue. If you have a photo of Jeff, a remembrance or message for his family, please visit the “Remembering Jeff” board: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/Vf4DNcTu

Jeff was a great “girl dad” and proud father of his daughters. His friends admired how he took the time to coach and mentor them and was also there to support them as they explored and learned by doing. Jeff spoke often about how much he enjoyed watching them grow into successful young adults and how proud and impressed he was with their achievements. Jeff was also an awesome uncle to his niece and was like an uncle to all his friend’s kids too.

Jeff was a gifted athlete through his school years and remained active playing and coaching basketball. Jeff had a great love for the outdoors and outdoor sports. He was an excellent skier, and loved kayaking, rafting and water sports of all kinds. He shared his love of sports and his ability to serve as a positive mentor, by working with Parks and Recreation where he made a significant impact on the lives of many young athletes.

As many of you likely know, his greatest outdoor passion was bike riding. Either on the road or trail, he loved the thrill and freedom of 2-wheeled human power. Even when his girls were very young Jeff wouldn’t miss an opportunity for a good bike ride. He’d just bundle up the girls in the bike trailer and away they’d go.

Many of us were fortunate to enjoy along with Jeff, his love and appreciation of music of all kinds, especially classic rock, progressive rock, funk, soul, Motown and R&B. He possessed an excellent sense of rhythm and time and could have easily been a professional percussionist. He was amazing at remembering obscure musical riffs and lyrics and enjoyed playing a sort of “name that tune” game with like-minded friends.

As many of us know and experienced, Jeff was a very social person who easily made friends. He had a vast network of friends spanning decades. Jeff was fun and funny, and a great storyteller and created wonderful inside jokes that grew and evolved over the years. He was quick to remember old friends and faces even from his distant past and would often reach out to keep in touch.

As we all know, Jeff had a way of connecting that made each of us feel valued and important in his life. Once Jeff was your friend, you had a bestie for life. Simply put, Jeff was just “good people”.

He will be greatly missed by all those lucky enough to have known him.

Please share this page with those who knew Jeff. We realize our initial outreach likely will not reach everyone who loved Jeff.

The memorial will be held on Saturday, March 29th 2-4pm, at the small gym in the Charles Jordan Community Center (9009 N. Foss Ave, Portland, OR 97203).