Jeffrey A. Leigh

"Seeing is believing." For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Jeff , it summarized in every way who he was. He was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around him and always thinking before acting. He was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything he did. He was a friendly person who truly cared about those around him.

He was the son of Robert Leigh and Barbara Bobst. Raised in New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and California, he was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy. As a child, he learned to be conscientious, responsible and punctual. These were all traits that he would carry with him throughout his life.

Jeff was raised with six siblings. He had one older brother, Greg an older sister, Pam, three younger sisters, Cindy,Teresa and Nettie, and one younger brother, John.Jeff and his siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up but they cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years. Growing up, Jeff enjoyed riding horses with friends at J&L.

Most folks would say that Jeff was shy until they got to know him. Those who were privileged to know him well learned that he was a solid, good friend. Jeff was reluctant to generalize about people, and he based his friendships on his personal experiences. Because of this, Jeff best trusted those people that he truly knew. He was concerned about how those around him felt, and he always seemed to uncover the positive side of people. He could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to "walk a mile in their shoes,"as the saying goes. The friends that he made, Jeff kept. While growing up, some of his best friends were Dan Southworth, George Luna and Jon Grice. Later in life, he became friends with Jim Stewart.

Love can't be defined but must be experienced. That was so true for Jeff. On October 25, 1975 Jeff married Zona Southworth at St.Paul's Methodist Church of Coronado, California. He was totally committed to Zona and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Jeff naturally sensed his spouse's needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. Although Jeff disliked conflict, he did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times.

Jeff was a good father to his children. He had "old fashioned" parental values and could handle typical family conflicts in a fair and calm manner.Jeff was blessed with two children, one daughter, Jennifer and one son, Brian. They were also

blessed with two grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Hudson.

He was employed for 27 years by Sea World. If you gave Jeff a deadline, he would meet it without hesitation and see it through completion. In this way, Jeffrey had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems.

Jeff often liked to physically do things rather than just think about them. He was like that with sports. Recreational sports included fishing, hunting and motor sports. He enjoyed watching boxing and football.

Jeff was as loyal to his pets as they were to him. Retirement finally arrived in 2010. He found new pleasure in gold mining.

Jeff passed away on October 31, 2012 at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California. He is survived by wife Zona, children Jennifer and Brian, grandchildren Kaitlyn and Hudson.

It is said that some people can't see the forest for the trees. Jeff was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Jeff was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of man to whom everyone was drawn. He was thorough and practical. Jeff Leigh was very literal with his words. You always knew where you stood with Jeff. He will be missed.