Errol William Jeffcoat

Errol William Jeffcoat was born on December 18, 1942 in Long Beach, California to parents Errol Wilson Jeffcoat and Mildred Ward. He was raised in the Long Beach area with his sister Susan. He attended grade school and middle school and graduated from Paramount High School. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Air Force and honorably served his country during the Vietnam War.

It was at a USO dance in Sacramento that he met the love of his life, Kathleen Carol Murphy. They had a brief encounter, passing each other on the stairs; although Kathleen was on a date with someone else, she was immediately intrigued by the handsome young soldier. Eventually they got each other’s contact information and after three months of dating they were married on January 24, 1963 and settled into married life in Southern California.

Errol and Kathleen started their family and had in total five children: Deborah, Christine, Matthew, Tammara, and Daniel. The family moved to Oregon and resided in Hillsboro. Errol was a very hands on dad and always welcomed his children to join him in the garage or on other projects. He imparted many life skills and lessons during these work tasks. He taught his daughter Christine how to be a welder and made sure that practical tool skills were inherited by all his children. Whenever Errol had a chore or something to get done he always had a kid or two in tow. Errol operated a fairly successful side business where he would rototill gardens in different neighborhoods. His son Matthew also enjoyed going on these work outings as Errol was really in his element. He loved chatting with folks and getting the work at hand done. Sometimes, Errol could get a little too chatty and Matthew would find himself doing all the work while his dad conversed with the customer!

Errol was a fantastic Grandpa and always put his grandchildren first. He relished the time he spent providing childcare for his family. He was kind and patient and when the grandkids would spend time with him, it always put big smiles on everyone’s faces.

Errol was a simple man you didn’t need much to be happy. He loved his wife and family and he truly was most content when he could just tinker about in his yard or garage, preferably with assistance from children or grandchildren. On December 4, 2016 Errol peacefully passed away after a long illness.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 53 years, Kathleen Jeffcoat. Children: Deborah Schneider and husband Daniel, Christine Fountain and husband Cliff, Matthew Jeffcoat and wife Angela, Tammara Jeffcoat and significant other Sandoval, and Daniel Jeffcoat. Grandchildren: Courtney, Cameron, Katarina, Dayle, Antony, John, Emily and Alex.

A private memorial service is being held by the family. Errol will be laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery.