While perusing the latest MUS Today publication this morning, I sadly learned that Jeff had passed.  I met Jeff in 2018 through some of my work crew who included him on a few production set-ups.  Jeff was different than most of my workers:  really smart. philosophical, funny.  What are you doing here? He shared his story.  We became friends, especially after learning that we shared our Alma Mater, MUS, albeit we were a quarter century apart there.  Jeff was certainly a deep thinker, philosophical soul, and able person.  He was simply seeking his place.  We had many deep, great conversations, and I shared some of the wisdom and lessons imparted to me from my mentors and life lessons to a kindred spirit. Jeff was witty and fun to be around.  He got it, but still had his struggles, like we all have, in one form or another.  He often talked of his family, and how they loved him - and he them. Yes, he understood the tough love.  We talked, emailed, and texted several times over the Fall and into the Spring.  I am so saddened to learn of his passing, but am confident that we will meet again someday, because I do know Jeff got it.  We talked about that, too.  Godspeed Jeff.  And to his family, I'm praying for you because I'm intimately aware of the pain of loss.  The pain subsides; it's the love that stays with you.  God Bless You.

What I will remember the most about Jeffrey is his kindness and his tremendous sense of humor.  We constantly talked and laughed about movies, TV shows, and music, and with very little practice, Jeffrey could perform amazing, spot-on impressions of various cartoon and movie characters.  

In high school, Jeffrey inserted his sense of humor into several sketches that we performed for Spanish classes.  While we were preparing for one of our sketches by speaking the Spanish vocabulary, I noticed that Jeffrey moved his open hand up and down whenever he was trying to remember particular Spanish vocabulary terms, and Jeffrey noticed that I paced back and forth whenever I was trying to remember the particular terms.  I told Jeffrey that he was “chopping the air” with his hand motions.  Jeffrey told me that my pacing back and forth made me look as if I were waiting impatiently to use a public bathroom.  Jeffrey and I became concerned that our Spanish teacher would quickly deduce our “tells” that whenever Jeffrey was trying to remember any vocabulary, he would “chop the air” and that whenever I was trying to remember any vocabulary, I would pace back and forth as if I needed to use a public bathroom.

Jeffrey and I incorporated our “tells” into a Spanish sketch in which he portrayed an ice cream man and in which I portrayed a customer who was impatiently waiting for his ice cream.  During the sketch, my customer character paced back and forth while waiting for ice cream, and Jeffrey’s ice cream man character moved his hand up and down to “chop up” the toppings for the imaginary ice cream.  

Jeffrey used his sense of humor to help me create a Spanish sketch in which we could try to hide our weaknesses in a unique way that was an organic part of the sketch.  I also could depend on Jeffrey to complete his share of the workload for our group projects.  I will always remember how helpful Jeffrey could be while also incorporating his sense of humor into everything that he did.

When Jeffrey and I were in elementary school together, we once discussed the meaning of the statement “The mind never sleeps,” and I assured him that the statement was merely a joke and that the human mind definitely needs to rest.  Jeffrey responded that the human mind really does not sleep because when humans sleep, they are having dreams that will fuel the humans’ creative ideas and thoughts in the future.  I thought that Jeffrey, even at that time at the age of 9, had fascinating perspectives on expressions that I dismissed as meaningless jokes, and after that discussion, whenever I began to doze off at the end of the day, Jeffrey would laugh to jolt me awake and would remind me that I could not fall asleep because “the mind never sleeps.”  We always laughed about Jeffrey’s waking me up whenever I started to doze off and about that discussion that we had when we were 9 years old because I was genuinely impressed that one of my peers would have any insight into a statement that I believed was just a meaningless joke.  

Whenever students lined up, I always tried to find Jeffrey so that I could walk behind him because I knew that he was kind enough to walk at a pace with which I could keep up in the line.  When I transferred to a new school at age 13, I was hesitant about starting at a new school and about leaving my friends from my old school behind, but when I noticed that Jeffrey was also starting at the new school, I instantly became more relaxed and confident that I could succeed at the new school.  Whenever I expressed any doubts about my abilities at the new school, Jeffrey was there to inspire me with his optimism and to reassure me that we both could succeed.  During Spanish classes, Jeffrey imbued me with confidence that I could recite our Spanish conversations from memory, and he helped to ensure that I never read too much from the scripts that we wrote for our Spanish conversations.  It was amazing how insightful and encouraging Jeffrey could be.  

Jeffrey Crowton has been one of my best friends since Kindergarten, and he was one of the kindest, most genuine people whom you could ever meet.  

In high school, during a group project, some students abandoned me in the dark woods of downtown Memphis near the Mississippi River at 11:30 at night.  The students knew that I did not have a cellphone or any money, and after the students abandoned me in what they perceived to be an hilarious prank, the students called Jeffrey to brag about their prank of leaving me alone in the woods of downtown Memphis at 11:30 at night.  Without any reluctance, Jeffrey immediately drove at least 45 minutes from Collierville to pick me up from the dark woods and to drive me home.  During the drive home, when I thanked Jeffrey for picking me up, I told him that he could have just gone to bed and could have just hoped that I would be okay and would somehow make it home.  With a scoff, Jeffrey told me that he had to make sure that I was okay and that he could not simply hope for the best for my situation.  In Jeffrey’s mind, it was absolutely no problem to drive at least 45 minutes from Collierville to pick someone up from the woods of downtown Memphis at 11:30 at night.  

The account of Jeffrey’s taking me home at 11:30 at night encapsulates the kind of person whom Jeffrey was.  Jeffrey could not just assume that you were okay, and he could not simply hope for the best for your situation.  Jeffrey had to see for himself that you were okay, and it did not even occur to Jeffrey that he could just hope for the best.  Jeffrey could have gone to sleep that night and could have left me alone in the woods of downtown Memphis at 11:30 at night, but he could not simply hope for the best for my situation.  Jeffrey had to make sure that I was okay, and I will always remember him as someone who really looked out for his friends because he genuinely cared about other people in a world where compassion is becoming increasingly rare.  

Jeff was a one of a kind soul who had a positive impact on my life when I first showed up at the houston skate park knowing almost nothing. He took me under his wing and into his family. I never learned to kick flip, but it was not for a lack of trying on Jeff's part, but the one guitar riff I know was all him. His genuine kindness and patience was impressive, as well as his kickflips. O what I would give to go back and skate a day with Jeff...much love, Jason

I remember Jeff very fondly. When my best friend switched schools, he was pulled into a new friend group, which included Jeff. I liked Jeff, always told it like it was. For someone very silly, I remember vividly him destroying people in chess. Even people that competed locally would get mad and storm off a sore loser to this unranked player. 

I think that was Jeff’s comfort zone. Being the unranked player. Not making a big splash. 

While his match was playing out before him, our own matches have been playing around him. I sincerely regret not reaching out to Jeff more often, making sure his match was going well. For that, I hope he forgives me.

I know you’re at peace now. There is no duality at the end, only peace. 

OBITUARY

Jeffrey Paul Crowton

April 18, 1988 – April 23, 2021

Collierville Funeral Home

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