Jeffrey Stephens Obituary
Born July 17, 1970 in La Junta, Colorado. He was adopted by Lloyd and Cleo Stephens. Jeff passed away May 11, 2026, surrounded by family. Jeff started his work life prior to graduating high school as a mechanic and tow truck driver at A1 Auto working for Randy McFarland. He went from there to being a fuel transport driver, still for Randy McFarland. He got interested in emergency services, driving the ambulance and reserve patrol ride alongs. He decided he wanted to become a deputy so he worked to get his GED, then left McFarland Oil to go to Trinidad to get certified as a police officer. Jeff tried many different hats in his sheriff’s office work years. He believed in treating people with respect as long as they could find a way to show the same, believing in talking to people before it had to result in fighting them. His passions were helping people get out of bad decisions/situations, watching them turn their worlds around, and crime scene investigations/forensics. Jeff left the sheriff’s office and returned to his roots with McFarland Oil doing a whole bunch of various tasks (welding, fabricating, mechanic, gas delivery, etc) If he had time off he spent time with family and friends. Involving them in drag racing (Cops and Kids as well as Take it to the Track at Bandimere Speedway), monster trucks, motorcycle rides, 4 wheeling, etc. He LOVED scaring people so you never knew when to expect a firecracker going off by you, an air horn blaring suddenly or a smack on a table. His favorites were scares he wasn’t even trying to do. Anyone who knew Jeff will understand this, he donated his body to science specifically for forensic studies. He was preceded in death by his father, grandparents and in-laws. Surviving family include his mother, Cleo Stephens, wife Jeanette Stephens, daughter Amber Lee (Tyra Snider), son Brian Stephens (Heath Warner), granddaughter/daughter Alexia Stephens, grandsons Gregory Phelps and Godric Lee (their father figure Mike Glenn), granddaughter Kenidi Snider, brother Jim (Donna) Tafoya and family, step-siblings Macheal Pierce and Leslie Hines, as well as a multitude of family and friends (too many to list!). There will be a celebration of life and fund raiser event on June 6th at 4p at the Elks in Salida Colorado
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