Jeffrey L. Jacox

On May 23, 1949, a bright light of energy dropped onto Earth in the form of a baby boy born to Fred and Thelia (Bock) Jacox in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We can only imagine the curiosity and creativity young Jeff must have shown as a child. The Jacox family moved to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where both Jeff and his older brother, John, grew up and attended school. Jeff enjoyed his formative years in Fort Dodge, making friends, developing his creative talents, and participating on the swim team in high school.

After graduation in 1967, Jeff decided to broaden his horizons, and headed to George Washington University in Washington D.C. where he studied electrical engineering. This was during the tumultuous '60s in the nation's capital, and Jeff would often make his friends laugh by telling them he had to make sure he was never seen at a televised protest because if he were seen, college funds from home might end quickly.

After four years at George Washington University, Jeff decided to make a "minor" change in career plans, switching from electrical engineering to studying music at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he studied from the fall of 1971 to the spring of 1975. The college is known for its excellence in preparing musicians in organ, piano, and voice. It was Jeff's major focus to study organ performance and prepare for a career in church music ministry. In fact, the music you are hearing at this service today is from Jeff's senior organ recital in March of 1975. This recital was a requisite for graduation and Jeff passed with flying colors.

He had thoroughly enjoyed his time on the east coast, taking advantage of all the cultural opportunities that were offered. But upon graduation in 1975, Jeff made a life-changing decision not to pursue his trained career, but to return to Fort Dodge and enter the world of business with his father, Fred and brother, John. According to Jeff's own words, "I certainly was a fish out of water with the transition, but steadily adapted to the completely different environment of industrial 'culture.'"

Eventually, Jeff became co-owner, sales manager, and Vice President of Bock Bros. Welding Supply Company. In 1992, the company merged with two others to form IaTech Sales Co., where Jeff was co-owner and Vice-President of Marketing. While his career in business was successful and time-consuming, Jeff had time to commit to many other groups in Fort Dodge. He served as President of the community board of the Fort Dodge Symphony and also served as President of Blanden Memorial Art Gallery board of trustees. He was a member of the choir of the Fort Dodge Congregational Church and was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church pipe organ installation committee. In 1996, IaTech was sold; Jeff retired and moved to Des Moines.

As Jeff told the story, he was sitting watching OPRAH one day as a 47-year-old retiree and decided to move to Des Moines, buying a townhome on the south side of the city. Jeff's out-going personality, his fun-loving attitude, and compassion for people soon won him many friends. It seemed Jeff "collected" friends wherever he went. Without a doubt, Jeff was one of the most non-judgmental people who ever lived, as his ever growing base of friends proved to be very eclectic, to say the least.

In 1998, Jeff found his home on Druid Hill that became a sanctuary for him for the next thirteen years. With almost an acre of ground, a bubbling brook in the front and the back of the property, his home was almost an island in the city that gave him the peace, the quiet, and the privacy he craved.

Jeff's creativity, his understanding of building basics, and his desire to have his home constantly evolve led to many re-modeling or "freshening up" projects over the years. The one constant that never changed was Jeff's ability to be the welcoming warm host who could make anyone feel at home. While enjoying his friends and his home, Jeff also found time to volunteer

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