Joseph Wayne Jeffries

Joseph Wayne Jeffries, known to nearly everyone simply as Joe, passed away on September 20, 2026, in Hialeah, Florida, at the age of 86, following a period of declining health. He lived a good life, a full life, with so many accomplishments and so many friends that it is hard to put such a life into words.

Joe was born on February 6, 1940, in Miami, Florida, to Raymond Jeffries and Johnny Mabel Butler Jeffries. He graduated from Miami-Edison High School in 1958 and went straight to work for the Florida State Road Department as a survey technician. Over the next three decades, he climbed through one position after another, serving as area engineer, resident construction engineer, and district maintenance engineer before retiring from FDOT in 1988 after a thirty-year career.

But Joe was never one to sit still. He went on to oversee special projects for the Florida Turnpike with Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, staying on through the contract's transitions to Sverdrup Corp and later Jacobs, retiring a second time in 2003. Even then, he came back, working as an Office Engineer for Eisman-Russo and finally as a Project Manager for Craig A. Smith & Associates. Though not entirely wanting to, he finally stepped away from work for good in 2011 so he could focus on what mattered most to him: his children and grandchildren.

Along the way, Joe married Janice Lorraine Mehl in 1963, and together they welcomed Gregory Wayne in 1965 and Tamara Lynn in 1968. He later married Margaret Hayes Miller in 1980 and settled in Hialeah.

After his second divorce, Joe discovered a passion that would bring him endless joy and a whole new circle of friends: ballroom dancing. He especially loved swing, with West Coast Swing his favorite, though he wouldn’t turn down an East Coast Swing, and he loved to watch the masters of Carolina Shag. Through the South Florida Swing Society, he found a true posse, and he loved traveling to competitions with them, often with Samantha in tow. It was sometimes difficult to keep up with all of Joe’s friends, but Starr, Susan, Patsy, Kim, Jill, and Nancy were among his closest companions and the people he spoke of most often. Those friendships, and the memories made on countless dance floors, meant the world to him.

When he wasn't working or dancing, Joe loved to hunt and fish. Many of those days were spent with his brother from another mother, Rick Perrson, alongside their fathers Raymond and Arne, Joe's son Greg, and close friends like Bud Powell, Wayne, and Al Coletti. There were good times at the hunt camp in the Everglades, duck hunting and fishing around Lake Okeechobee, and deer and turkey hunting at the Mills Ranch in Kenansville. Joe also loved the North Georgia mountains. His second home in Blairsville became the setting for many treasured family Thanksgivings, where he enjoyed gathering everyone together—and occasionally terrifying his sisters with one of his memorable drives through the winding mountain roads.

Of all the roles Joe held in his lifetime, however, none meant more to him than being “Puc” to his grandchildren.

His grandchildren, Samantha and Kagan, were truly the light of his life. He spent as much time with them as he possibly could. Whether it was softball, soccer, hockey, skate parks, school trips, or simply going to a movie followed by lunch at the Rainforest Café, time spent with Samantha and Kagan was among his greatest joys. He showed up for them, cheered for them, spoiled them whenever he could, and treasured every moment.

Joe is survived by his son, Gregory Wayne Jeffries; his daughter, Tamara Lynn Majewski; his granddaughter, Samantha Nicole Jeffries; his grandson, Kagan Tyler Jeffries; and his sister, Linda Jeffries Giblin. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Johnny Mabel Jeffries, and his sister, June Jeffries Watts.

Joe will be laid to rest at Buck Hill Cemetery in Knob Lick, Kentucky, in the heart of the land where his parents grew up and where he spent many a day during his youth, resting beside his father and near his paternal grandparents, Louis Henry Jeffries and Ora L. Jeffries Reece. A graveside service will be held on October 10, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., with arrangements entrusted to Butler Funeral Home, 201 East Street, Edmonton, Kentucky.

Those who knew Joe knew he also adored his miniature schnauzers, Wolfie, Luna, Koala, Kissy, Cutie-Pie, and Lexi. In his memory, a donation to Schnauzer Love Rescue would be a fitting way to honor him. May he rest in peace.