Community loses gentle man, giant of love

SIDNEY -- On Thursday, June 8, Brent Jeffers was admitted into Sidney Regional Medical Center. It was announced he passed away on Friday, June 9 at the age of 68.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 15, at the Evangelical Free Church in Sidney with Pastors Doug Birky and Kyle Larson officiating. Services will be live-streamed on the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel Facebook page and recorded for later viewing on their website.

Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel on Wednesday from 1-6 P.M. to leave condolences for the family. Family will be present from 4-6 P.M.

Burial will be at the Greenwood Cemetery in Sidney. 

Jeffers is known for his career in education. Locally, he served as principal of Sidney School District elementary schools. He was also instrumental in The Ark program, a children's outreach.  He was the principal at North and South Elementary Schools from 1991 to 2016. He will be long remembered for his love for kids and his great sense of humor.  

Jeffers and his family moved to Sidney in 1991 when he was appointed the administrator for North and South Elementary schools in Sidney. 

He retired 25 years later, leaving an opening for aspiring educators, but not letting go of the youth in Sidney. Through his church, Evangelical Free Church of Sidney, he was part of The Ark youth program, "Tuesday Church" as many of the kids called it. The program was designed to provide a safe place for children, a place that offers a secure area to just be a child, interest with adults who love them and provide a meal and a Bible lesson. 

He was known as a disciplinarian and everyone's grandfather. With his reputation through public school and The Ark, he could usually give verbal directions and they would be followed. During recent years, he was known for his encouragements to children. 

"Hey!  What did I tell you?" he would say to a young boy.

"That I'm a good boy?"

"That's right! Remember that."

Following a bicycle accident when he rode his bike off of a curb and was injured, he was later diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease,. Because of his health, he resigned his role with The Ark ministry. 

His mantra from that point was "Best Day Ever" when anyone asked how he was doing. He chose to live each day as a blessing.

He was one of those men you meet who live genuinely; not always perfectly, but genuinely. He knew life was fragile, and could change at any moment. He also know where his love for children came from. It was the kind of heavenly love that would make most people say at least there is something bigger in life than what we see. Ask Brent the question, and he would explain the reason for his optimism. 

His impact on children, and later their children, cannot be counted in dollars and cents. His will be counted with a legacy recorded in a different kind of balance sheet.