Jeffrey Jason True

Date of birth: 3/7/1986~Date of Death: 10/22/23.

Jeffrey Jason True spent the first 26 years of his life walking in the light and being a beacon of friendship to those around him. In the latter years of his life, though the darkness of a severe neurological syndrome that affected his brain was slowly and cruelly enveloping him, he struggled not to let that condition extinguish his light.

Jeffrey attended Desert Sage elementary school, Hillcrest middle school, and Mountain Ridge high school in the Deer Valley school district. As a child he loved playing outdoors with his neighborhood friends. When his brother Ian Delaney came along in 1992, Jeffrey was his protector and made sure he was a good role model for him. He was always there for Ian, watching him over school breaks. Eventually Ian became Jeffrey’s little big brother.

As a child, Jeffrey spent summers visiting family in Omaha, Nebraska and going on fishing trips to Minnesota with his dad, grandpa, and uncles. He was a kind friend and would never leave your side in times of trouble.

Jeffrey went off to college at NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona, graduating with a BS in exercise science, minoring in Biology and Nutrition. While at NAU, he throve. He was voted resident assistant (RA) of the year at age 19. He was an RA his second year in college and his goal was to make sure everyone on his floor was happy and included in all his planned activities. He was also active in Bible study and volunteered on Core for Lifeteen at San Francisco de Asis Roman Catholic Church in Flagstaff. He spent six summers as a lifeguard at Washington pool, putting together a slideshow each year for the end-of-the-season party. He took his job as a lifeguard very seriously. He made lifelong friends and ran a discovery guard program to train future lifeguards.

Jeffrey had many accomplishments in life, but the number-one accomplishment was his faith in God that helped him excel in school, and on the basketball and volleyball courts, track field, and dance floor. Jeffrey loved country dancing and competed in the AZ 2-step state championship in 2015 with his dance partner Jean. He started running 50 minutes a day in July 2023 and was proud of that.

He was diagnosed with a severe neurological syndrome in 2011. It seemed to come on overnight. He got the help he needed at NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness. He even trained to be a peer mental health counselor and worked for many behavioral health companies throughout his professional career in Phoenix and Prescott, AZ.

In December 2012, Jeffrey attended the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) in Worcester MA to become a Physician Assistant (PA). Though he did well in school, he did not complete the program. This was another distressing setback. He had worked hard to get accepted into the program, but was far from home and from his support system. He was trying to emerge into adulthood at the very time he was slipping deeper into his neurological disorder. He found himself in a dark place, his disorder making it impossible for him to form, and stick to, a plan. Sadly, many closest to him were unaware of his internal struggle. His struggles made it impossible to return to PA school.

Over the twelve years that he suffered with this severe neurological syndrome, the energy it took to cope became increasingly difficult and unbearable. He isolated himself from family and friends. His illness made him question if he was even sick at all. Despite numerous setbacks and disappointments, Jeffrey kept trying to move forward. But in the end, he became too tired to continue and God took him in his sleep. He died of a pulmonary embolism.

The illness caused him to change jobs frequently, but he was self-supporting and made strides professionally. The last year of his life was spent living in Tusayan, AZ working at various businesses at the Grand Canyon. He preferred to be outdoors with nature. Jeffrey had a strong calling to God and recently told his family and friends not to worry because God’s got him.

We will continue to fight to end the stigma of brain disorders and mental illness. Teena (Jeffrey’s mother) encourages all of us to go NAMI.com to educate ourselves on the subject. There is help out there. The hard part was getting Jeffrey to seek help and practice healthy habits that make a difference. He could offer help to anyone but was reluctant to accept help himself when he needed it most.

The memorial service will be held Sunday December 3 at Living Streams church (7000 N Central Ave Phoenix AZ 85020) at 4:00pm with a reception to follow. We hope to see you there and let’s fill the church to overflowing to let Jeffrey know he was loved. Beneath all the struggling and pain was a very gentle and loving soul yearning to belong and feel love and affection. You can’t tell how much suffering is on a face that’s always smiling.

Jeffrey is survived by:

• Father Charles Jeffrey True-(Patricia), Phoenix, AZ,

• Mother Teena Delaney, Phoenix, AZ,

• Brother Ian Delaney, Prescott, AZ,

• Step dad Michael Delaney, Phoenix, AZ

• Aunts:

o Tammy Sidles (Jeff), Scottsdale, AZ,

o Terri Headley (Ron), Kearney, NE,

o Toni Johnson, Kona Hawaii,

o Traci Feffer (Brad) Mount Juliet, TN,

o Peg Gard (Steve), Omaha, NE,

o Amy Sanders (Andy), Omaha, NE

• Uncles:

o Thomas Johnson, Omaha, NE,

o Chris True, Tucson, AZ,

o Cliff True (Mimi), Omaha, NE,

• Grandfathers:

o William Joseph Johnson (Janice), Phoenix, AZ,

o Charles P True (Peg), Omaha, NE

• Cousins: Gina Feffer, April White, Tiffany Buettner, Amelia Johnson, Jessica Nipper, Nicole Karth, Justin Gard, Ashley Dabelstein, Rebecca Gard, Andrew Gard, Hannah Gard, Zachary Sanders, Evan Sanders, Max Sanders, Coleman Sanders, Grace True, Millie True, McKenzie Malin-True, Michael True, and McKaylee True.

Jeffrey was preceded in death by his grandmothers Donna Fay Johnson and Doris True, and his cousin Thomas Headley.

He was the most resilient person we've ever met.

Through it all, he never lost his sense of childlike faith and wonder. He was one of a kind, perfectly imperfect, and we will remember all the beautiful and often hilarious moments we've shared with him. He taught us more about love than we thought was humanly possible. He fought the good fight with unparalleled courage. God was ready for his Angel to come home. We are honored to have spent so many years with his sensitive soul. May he rest in peace.

Jeffrey’s mother, Teena, would like to assure him: “You were worried about living your life without me when I die. I told you I was more worried about you. All I ever wanted was a day together. You brought so much joy to my life and made it easier to accept the darkness. I now have a glimpse of your struggles and how confusing everything was with the severe neurological syndrome. Show me how you want to continue your legacy and I will do it. It all starts with kindness to others.”

Teena is the mother of the late Jeffrey Jason True. In lieu of flowers, you are invited to send a donation that will be used to honor Jeffrey's memory and help cover funeral and burial expenses. Send donations electronically here:

paypal.me/teenadelaney

Please share your memories and photos of Jeffrey here at this site. The page will be up indefinitely so feel free to come back and know that we are all healing together.

Here is a few memorial video of Jeffrey Jason True.

https://youtu.be/MSjvlHzVt_Q?si=n6tIUav-OAJSzIU0

https://youtu.be/r34WlRYxjFk?si=NfVVHJNfG2C6krG6