It is with heavy hearts that Jeffrey Wayne Fell is laid to rest. Born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, he learned the value of hard work and perseverance from his parents and extended family. A stellar student, Jeff excelled in high school and later at Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. With a scholastic aptitude and work ethic that opened doors, Jeff went to work for General Dynamics in San Diego, California, where he worked on the Tomahawk cruise missile program. The company later became part of Raytheon, where Jeff worked for 35 years. His role for the past 17 years was Sr. Principal Systems Engineer and Program Manager, leading the efforts to deploy and improve Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS). On any given day, more than 60% of US Navy sailors at sea are on a ship protected by SSDS. Jeff was proud and honored to work on these defense programs that were fielded to assist in keeping our nation and military personnel safe.
Jeff met his lovely wife Linda while working at General Dynamics. They married in 1983 and built a family and a home together until her untimely death in 2009. The couple enjoyed traveling with their daughters, Tabitha and Brianna, visiting cities throughout the U.S. and Australia. Their road trip through Australia included holding koalas. Tabitha and Brianna’s love of animals is a direct gift from their parents.
After years of grieving as a family, Jeff met a wonderful woman with whom to spend his later years. Jeff and Rosemarie married and enjoyed a myriad of outdoor activities. These two were unstoppable. They enjoyed long daily walks with their dogs, biking, swimming, and kayaking. They celebrated their December birthdays in New York City and Oklahoma, snorkeled in Kauai, and ate lobster in Boston. Both seemed to digress back to their 20s. Jeff excelled at researching and planning adventures, and will always be admired and loved for his ability to create memorable experiences for those he loved.
As a lifelong learner and doer, Jeff taught himself how to fix things. His handiwork is seen throughout his many home improvement projects, including recently laid hardwood floors. In his absence, we all wish we had a copy of the Jeff Fell Fix-It Handbook.
Jeffrey Wayne Fell was a modern-day cowboy whose guiding principle was “do the right thing.” He was generous with his gifts in helping others, always without expectation of anything in return. He will be deeply and forever missed. He is survived by his wife Rosemarie; his daughters Tabitha and Brianna; his parents Ruby and William Fell of Oklahoma; his brother Jim Fell of Arkansas; his brother Charles Fell and sister-in-law Pam Fell of Oklahoma; his sister Debbie Fell Vaughn and brother-in-law Russell Vaughn; his brother-in-law David Merriam; his nieces and nephews: Summer White, Devin Stanley, David Winters, Megan Richardson, Greg Fell, Dillion and Kayla Vaughn; and Rosemarie’s children: Max and Madeleine Shelton.
A graveside service will be held at Singing Hills Memorial Park on Friday, July 12, 2019 at 10:30 am. A celebration of life will immediately follow, a short distance away.
The family has designated two charities honoring Jeff’s love of the outdoors and helping others: The Sierra Club and Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing.
The Sierra Club: https://www.teamsierra.org/MyCelebration/jefffell
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing:
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/projecthealingwatersflyfishing/mobile
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