Jeff Fazenbaker

Jeffrey Wayne Fazenbaker, 59, died of cancer on April 7, 2016, at his home in Pompano Beach, Fla. His final days were spent under the gentle hospice supervision of TrustBridge Health, surrounded by family and friends who loved him, many of whom had traveled long distances to help care for him and bid him farewell.

Born in Baltimore, Md., to Ruth Virginia Parker Fazenbaker and George Owen Fazenbaker, he was the youngest of three children – barely. His twin sister, Sheree, arrived a few minutes before he did. When he was 2 years old, the family moved to Orlando, Fla. He graduated from Boone High School, where he played trumpet in the band, was a member of the swim team and the Civitan Club. Also, Jeff was active with the Boy Scouts of America and earned his Eagle Scout, a tradition that his nephews, David and Chris carried on, both earning their Eagle Scout. After high school, he lived in Texas and Orlando before moving to Maryland, where he got married and fathered two daughters. In 1993, he moved his young family to Fort Lauderdale and continued working in the roofing industry. A year later, he founded Roof System Services of Pompano Beach, which he owned and operated until his death. Jeff was a member and supporter of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches for more than 15 years.

His employees described him as a generous and supportive boss. Several came to visit him during his final illness, and one told family members that Jeff filled the role of father-figure for him. Because his own father had died when he was just 16, Jeff was keenly aware of the importance of male role models.

Just as he took a risk to start his own business, Jeff was a risk-taker in his recreational pursuits. He enjoyed skydiving, logging almost 800 jumps, and piloting small planes. Over the years, he owned both a Cessna and Cirrus. He participated in B.A.S.E. (Building, Antenna, Span and Earth) jumping, an

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extreme sport that involves leaping from any of the above with special parachutes designed for rapid deployment. In his younger days, he liked to participate in the annual Bridge Day jump from the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. For his 30th birthday, he jumped from a radio antenna. According to Jeff, jumping was the easy part; the hard part was the long climb up the antenna carrying his rig on his back.

Jeff also enjoyed boating and scuba diving, making frequent trips to the Florida Keys. He was especially fond of Islamorada and Key West. His less hazardous hobbies included reading spy novels, including books by Tom Clancy, Stuart Woods, Clive Cussler and Dean Koontz. For spiritual reading, he turned to Richard Bach. Jonathan Livingston Seagull resonated with him. Because his oldest sister, Susan Fazenbaker, was born with developmental disabilities, Jeff was keenly interested in organizations that help disabled children and adults. He supported Special Olympics and donated his time, and plane, to Challenge Air, a nationwide organization of 3,500 pilots who donate their time to build confidence and self-esteem in special-needs children and youth through the gift of flight. He remained closely involved in Susan’s life, moving her from Maryland to nearby Lighthouse Point, Fla., after the death of their sister, Sheree.

In addition to his sister Susan, Jeff is survived by his two daughters, Samantha Fazenbaker of Tallahassee, a graduate student in Applied American Politics and Policy at Florida State University, and Katie Fazenbaker of Orlando, a senior at the University of Central Florida majoring in Communication; the mother of his children, Christine Willingham of Cumberland, Md.; his brother-in-law Edward Beksinski of Bel Air, Md., widower of Jeff’s twin sister, Sheree; two nephews, David Beksinski of Bowie, Md., and Chris Beksinksi of Baldwin, Md.; two dear friends, Tom Tanenbaum and Bob Wilamoski, both of Orlando; and Bruno, a short-haired terrier mix rescue dog who will be moving to Tallahassee to live with Sam.

A memorial service will be held at 10 am, on Monday, April 25th, at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, located at 3331 NE 10th Terrace, Pompano Beach FL 33064. A wake will follow the service at Jeff’s home in Pompano. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in Jeff’s memory be made to Challenge Air. For more information or to donate online, go to http://www.challengeair.com/donate/. Kraeer Funeral Home and Cremation Center of Pompano Beach is assisting the family. After Jeff’s passing, Christine posted a tribute on Roof System Serivce’s Facebook page that read, in part:

“He lived life large and touched many lives, including his beautiful daughters. I learned much from him about taking risks. He loved blue skies and I hope his afterlife will be an endless sea of blue sky.”