Jeff grew up on the water in Orlando, Florida, where his love for outdoor life blossomed. He graduated from Winter Park High School in 1967 before voluntarily enlisting in the United States Army. During his service in Vietnam, where he brilliantly and courageously flew Huey helicopters, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, eight Air Medals, a Vietnam Air Medal, four Vietnam Service Medals, the Legion of Merit, National Defense Service Medals and a Presidential Citation. Upon discharge, Jeff found his way back to south central Florida, where he shuffled around working cattle before being hired as a deputy sheriff in Osceola County and settling in the one-stop town of Kenansville. He married his first wife and true love, Sharon Gail Haddock, and raised his half-feral children there. As the lone ranch and grove deputy for the county, Jeff did a lot of good with questionable practices. He performed great acts of service, such as rescuing a lost child in a heavily wooded area, capturing drug-smuggling planes, ridding the local ranches of wildlife poachers, all while shooting trophy bucks from his moving patrol car and outwitting the local game warden, who vehemently despised Jeff. When Montana wildlife officials detained Jeff for harassing antelope, he returned home and chose an alternate career path of landscape architecture and installation. He pioneered the landscape scene in Vero Beach, Florida, and, in turn, discovered he enjoyed harassing fish just as much as he did deer. Jeff made many trips up and down the coast of Florida and the Bahamas perfecting his pursuit of game fish and most likely capturing over his daily limit. When he tired of the overpopulation of Florida, he relocated to Hackberry, Louisiana, where he found fishing and hunting regulations to be much more lenient. He was one the states top redfish taggers, catching tagging and releasing nearly 4,200 redfish. He utilized the marsh to his benefit, so much so that when President Trump visited Cameron LNG in 2019, the Secret Service enlisted Jeff as their point of contact and water escort. Jeff raised his children to be self sufficient and live off of the land. He brought them up with the understanding that “You care for all wildlife, you eat what you kill and by God if you are going to do something dumb, don’t get caught”.
Jeff is survived by his two children, Matthew and Robin, who he adored beyond comprehension but relished in any opportunity to call them morons and disappointments. He loved his five grandchildren, Max, Sammy and Remy Bavar, Talia Abrams and Rubie Sue Russell, who thought their Big Pop was the coolest and craziest man to ever grace the earth. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Sharon Gail Bavar; and his parents, Max Bavar and Emily S. Kelly.
A Celebration of Jeff's Life will be held a 2 p.m. Saturday, January 20, in Hixson-Sulphur Memorial Funeral Home with reception to follow at his home in Hackberry. Sharon Overstreet will officiate. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Max Bavar, Sammy Bavar, Robbie Russell, Dr. Robert Capobianco, Roger Kelly, and Aaron Avedesian. Words of comfort and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.hixsonfuneralhomes.com.
