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S/A Jeffrey T Bockelkamp
Manhattan Beach, California
Birth Date
Saturday, March 20, 1976
Date Of Passing
Friday, January 05, 2007
This Tribute website was created by Bret Bockelkamp on 1/17/2007 to honor our loved one.
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This reading from Ryan Mitvalsky is the BEST discription of Jeff that could be put into words.........
Family, friends, loved ones, and people who came from around the country and around the world, we have come to honor and lay to rest a kid that meant the world to many, many people. I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. B, Bret, and Ryan for allowing me to speak and behalf of his close friends.
For those of you who are new to Jeff’s family here in Clarks Summit, my name is Ryan Mitvalsky, and I am one of those close friends. As mentioned before, and as can be seen here today, this showing here proves what kind of man Jeff was to his family, friends, and colleagues.
When it was decided that I would take on this honor of speaking on behalf of some of Jeff’s friends, I didn’t quite know how to go about it, except to begin from where my life became blessed.
In life, IF you are truly blessed, you meet a person who becomes special to you in every way. Special because this person knows you, can anticipate your thoughts, is there for you through the good, the bad and you never use the words best friend because it is just known. You just know that you can rely on one another, even if miles separate you; you know that you have a Best Friend. I was truly one of the Blessed ones.
When I moved out to Pennsylvania, I was twelve years old, I was skinny, a geek, clumsy, and out of place. (But now you can see, and as Jeff would say, we are a couple of good looking guys with bodies carved out of stone.) But, there was one person, 18 years ago, that came and found me. It was Jeff. We became instant buddies, four wheeling up and down Bald Mountain, and chewing some Redman behind the Middle School. His brothers Bret and Ryan joining us on some broken up four-wheeler, that he continually had to fix, and just cruising though all of Newton, but while doing this, Jeff had, what would turn out to be his first contact with law enforcement (I think Officer Reese is still mad he never caught us on those four-wheelers.
We went on through those “out-of-place” years together, hanging out in the woods behind his parents house, chasing the neighborhood girls around, and stealing some warm Genny his father had in the basement, (Frank, I have to ask, why Genny), and doing things like going to driving school together. I never knew, the instructor would actually make you get out and switch seats during the lesson. Jeff, like with many others, gave me a part of his life and took me in under his wing. He introduced me to what we liked to call “Deuce”, or the “the boys of Tulip Circle”. The only gang that could pull off those old Hypercolor shirts that would change colors. Hanging out on the front porch at Jeff Matthews’ house with Brian Moher, Chris Gercken, Bobby Lawless, and the older crowd of Billy Mathews and his friends. Wrestling in the front yard, squealing tires as we left the circle, and trying to be rebels as we approached high school graduation.
From there, Jeff, with his humor, good heart, and as he would say, his rock hard body, brought many other good friends to our group, reuniting with his first grade buddy Ray Keller, hooking up with Jeff Jenkins (who would soon become his partner at the Montgomery County Police Academy, Rob Fordiani, Andy Kettel, Mike Drumsta, and of course many more that I could name. Soon, this extended family would grow as we settled down and got married and added wives and kids to the mix. Well, at least some of us settled down. As a side note, not many people knew Jeff was an uncle, not the typical uncle, but to my son Noah, the Jenkins’ daughter Morgyn, the Lawless’s daughter Alivia, and soon several more on the way this year, he was Uncle Jeff. You know, the kind of uncle that would have let them smoke in the back of church, or give them their first beer at the age of 12.
Jeff, as we all know, had a big heart, great sense of humor, and was the life of the party. Jeff had an ego the size of Texas, and he knew everything. But he would also give anything for his family, and for his friends. With the mention a wedding, bachelor party or toga party, all Jeff needed was the date and time and he was booking the plane tickets.
Jeff went by many names. He was not just Jeff, he was Buckles to the guys in shields, JB, Rubberneck, and Legs to his friends, and he would even be Goose or Maverick, depending on which one of us was on the prowl that night.
He has taught us many of life’s values. Determination; by graduating with honors and recognitions from Mont. County Police Acad., than moving onto the DEA, and excelling at every aspect of the job. He showed us what energy was, flying in, eating a dinner with the family, and man can that guy eat, than it was out to the clubs until morning, and doing it all over again. Some of us looked forward to him coming home for the holidays; others had to sleep the week before his arrival, knowing it would be a long weekend. Jeff taught us stubornness. He knew what he knew, and you weren’t going to tell him otherwise. He taught us enthusiasm, not ever wasting a moment in life, and taking the slower route. He taught us what raw humor is. Making jokes, pulling pranks, and poking fun. I had a voice mail from him just this past Tuesday during President Ford’s day of mourning, letting me know “Our tax dollars were at work, as he was on the way to the gym.
As I wrap up, through those 18 years we laughed, cried, did some good things and some not so good things, we did things that if they were known would curl our parent’s hair, and even worse, I don’t know where the back door is to the church, and I don’t think I can outrun all of those guys with shields. Even though miles separated us we stayed in tune with one another.
Today we are gathered to recount our individual memories of our time with Jeff. To work through our sorrow of a life cut short. But I hope you, as I will, reflect on those memories, smile at some and cry at others, and realize how blessed we were to have Jeff as a son, brother, and friend. To all his brotherhood in law enforcement, I say thank you for being with him, as now he will be with you through your career. To all of his family and friends I say God Bless you as we work through our sorrow together. To God I ask please take care of our Best Friend, our brother, and my wingman.
http://members.aol.com/deawatch/family.htm
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/sitehead.asp?page=/content/pol/media/pressrelease/RobberyWheatonMetro120301.htm |
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