In Memory

Jeff Creed

Jeff Creed

Passed away 12-31-15 from long-term health complications-. Jeff's infectious smile and talents were many. He played football, sang, was M&G, and played a mean guitar. He will be sadly missed by those lives he was in. 



 
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06/19/10 12:02 AM #1    

Mike Zygmunt

Sad to see Jeff passed away at such a young age.  A lot of fond memories associated with Jeff Creed, especially dating back to our Carnegie Chiefs days. "Mean" Gene Howerton #32 made some commentary on that juggernaut team in his profile and was thoughtful enough to post a picture. You're right Gene, it was damn cold that cruel night we battled for the city championship against Eliot only to succumb to a trick play.  I recall Mr. Creed (Jeff's father/coach) spraying stick'em on my hands, instantly encasing my fingers in ice.  Off subject here, but Gene, in reference to Chris Anderson, who could hit that guy in elementary school? He should of went pro after graduating sixth grade. 

Jeff had a penchant for hiking the football well over my head which brought the ire from our coaches not so much because the pigskin would sail yards beyond my reach but for the reason Jeff just did not seem that concerned, humorous even back then.  But in all fairness when it counted Jeff's snaps were quite precise, a thing of beauty.

Another Jeff memory involves his first on the block CB radio. Now this was cutting edge stuff back then and i eagerly requested to broadcast my voice over the air waves giving myself the handle "Jackass Kid".  To Jeff's chagrin, I proceeded to enrage every trucker in the Bi-State area.  What i thought was great fun, mortified Jeff, he was sure his license to operate his new toy would be revoked, most likely by a personal visit from the highway patrol. Needless to say Jeff's generous nature had found its limit and that was my final trucker moment.

I am fairly confident it was standard Memorial protocol that most chose not to invest much time completing homework which included the drudgery of preparing for speeches. Instead the vast majority improvised to a large degree hoping the equally dismal performance that proceeded would somehow shed a kinder light on our own apathetic effort.  My ploy was to be as dry and serious as possible while saying absolutely nothing (think Will Farrell Anchorman).  On one such occasion Jeff Creed had the misfortune of sitting directly in front of the podium.  Every time I paused and stared at Jeff he would burst out in uncontrollable laughter to the point the instructor yanked him out of class and lambasted Jeff for interrupting my presentation.  He tried to explain his case, but my concerned glances only verified to the teacher she was doing the right thing.

I suppose I should of intervened on Jeff's behalf but this was Memorial and such comical hazards were common place.  Jeff was a thespian himself, a member of Masque and Gavel, well aware all the world's a stage, and all the men and women of Memorial merely players.  That very mindset created one of Memorial's greatest quotes when Eddie Morris simply seeking a cold brew was queried by the store owner concerning his age and if he could show drivers license...without hesitation Eddie responded; "Got no car, sure ain't got no drivers license!"

All kidding aside. Jeff was truly a gentle soul and a very good person who never uttered an unkind word. His parents were truly special also.  Rest in peace Jeff, you will be missed. Jeff is#1 in the picture below. 

Carnegie Chiefs


07/01/10 08:42 PM #2    

Richard Hedgecock

What a joy to find that the clever mind and extraordinary vocabulary of Grandma Zygmunt has found this site.

What a shock to learn that my old friend, Jeff, is no longer with us.

As a Salk/Byrd B-to-C teamer, I have no athletic memories to share, just those from high school.

Jeff was in Concert Chorus with many of us and was always entertaining and, more importantly to me, dependable.

He was a hilarious Sitting Bull in the well-remembered 1978 production of Annie Get Your Gun.

But the memory I treasure most is the very personal favor he did for me: I wanted to sing the Paul Simon song American Tune (then my favorite non-power ballad) at the Senior Assembly but did not play the guitar. When I asked Jeff if he would learn it for me, a song he had never heard before, he borrowed my There Goes Rhymin' Simon album, took it home and taught himself the song in about 4 days. At the assembly, he was flawless.

Jeff was a great and loyal friend and will be missed.


07/01/10 11:07 PM #3    

Gene Howerton

 Mike, sorry to hear that about Jeff, he was a great guy.  The other thing I remember couple of other things about Jeff and his family.  Mr. Creed would always take anyone home after football practice up at Lafortune.  If you remember he had that Classic T-Bird that always great to ride in.  Since we just lived down the street from him, he took me home more than a few times.

The other thing I remember about going over to Jeff's house was the greenhouse his mother had in the back yard.  This wasn't a small one either it was huge or at least I remember being huge.  She mostly had cactus growing in it and she made these great displays in SW color bowls.  Each year in Elementary School and on through Nimitz Jeff would bring in the something his mom made to the teachers.  

I still remember him bring them to school and I remember thinking it would be great to have a green house, especially in the winter in Oklahoma.


07/10/10 11:28 AM #4    

Brian Castles

It breaks my heart to hear of my old friend's passing.  Mike's and Richard's descriptions of Jeff help to soften the shock.  I can add a few...

Jeff and I spent hours and hours over the summer at his house playing guitar and piano, singing old Beatle's tunes and Stairway to Heaven.  He had a wonderful tenor and I can still hear some of those old harmonies in my head while he played his 4 string guitar.  We would roll on the floor laughing at Cheech and Chong's "glad I didn't step in it" routine.  He could easily mimic Spock's eyebrows with his facial expressions.  There was always a joy just being around him.

I'm sorry for the loss of my friend.  He will be missed in this life, but I take comfort God gave me a friend like him for those years growing up.  I'm a better man because of the gift of Jeff.


01/01/11 06:21 PM #5    

Jim Rice

 I want to thank everyone for their stories about Jeff.  Unfortunately, I did not know my Memorial classmates before High School, so it is really nice to hear some of the 'back stories'.

 

I knew Jeff exclusively through our Masque & Gavel/Drama/Debate activities.  I agree with Richard: Jeff was brilliant as Sitting Bull.  I also remember him debating nuclear power at tournaments with a stuffed beaver in his pocket.  If I recall correctly, the beaver's name was "LMFBR", the acronym for "Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor".  

 

But my most enduring (and endearing) memory of Jeff was one night when a group of us "Speechies" went to the Captain's Cabin to see a hypnotist perform.  Jeff was one of the 10 volunteers from the audience who went up to be hypnotized.  The hypnotist had half of the group become their favorite performer, and half of the group be those performers' #1 fans.  Right after Sally Adams performed as Tina Turner (which was a treat unto itself!), Jeff began to perform as Billy Joel.  The man literally became Billy Joel.  He opened with "Piano Man" and did so well that the hypnotist and his pianist had Jeff perform 3 more songs.  Jeff was so spot on that we basically had a mini Billy Joel concert.

 

My heart and prayers go out to Jeff's family and to all of you who were close to him.

 

- Jim


03/18/11 03:53 PM #6    

Cary Stanford (Epstein)

You guys this is really sweet. Fortunately,  Jeff is alive - I just spoke with him today.  He does have some major health issues but he is living in Las Cruces, NM with his folks.  I'm sure he'd love to hear from you.   He appreciates email but has difficulty typing. 

 

 

Email:
 
Home Phone: 575-527-5364

01/01/16 01:34 PM #7    

Kevin Wood

Earlier comments, from several years back when we recieved erronoeous info that Jeff had passed. Cary confirmed yesterday, that Jeff passed away Decemeber 31, 2015. He will be missed- kmw


01/14/16 09:47 PM #8    

Darrel Drake

Jeff you were a good friend and always friendly to me.  I considered you a good friend in high school.  Thanks. RIP


08/27/22 11:46 AM #9    

Kay-Dawn Gable ((nka Maggie Doyle))

Oh my. I have a vivid memory of Jeff. We had just started "dating" in 8th grade at Nimitz, when there was an all-school talent show. Jeff performed Elton John's Your Song and dedicated it to me. I imagine that was one of the sweetest moments of my childhood - and one I will never forget.


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