Obituary of Alice Jeanine Abshire Jeffers

Alice Jeanine Abshire Jeffers Died October 19, 2019 KEIZER, OR - Alice A. Jeffers, 88, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family. Alice was born September 21, 1931, in Three Rivers, Michigan. She attended Three Rivers High School (class of 1949) where she was an active participant in many clubs and activities, including performing in a singing trio. After completing one year at the University of Michigan, her father died and she returned home to work as a Registered X-ray Technician at Three Rivers Hospital. In 1953 she married her best friend, Arthur E. Jeffers, Jr. (Art). From 1953-1979 she dedicated her extraordinary positive energy to creating a loving home and wonderful family life as she and Art raised four children. She was an active member of the Three Rivers community, including the Philharmonic Society and the Three Rivers Women’s Club. She also worked as a Secretary in the Family Vision Care Three Rivers office of Dr, Daniel Frew, OD, from 1975-1979. In 1979, she and Art semi-retired and worked 15 tax seasons for H&R Block in Pompano Beach, Florida; she as the Office Supervisor for an Executive Tax Services Branch Office and he as an executive tax preparer. Together they realized Art’s lifelong dream of living aboard a sailboat. She sailed with Art in Florida, the Bahamas, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, the Hudson River and throughout the Great Lakes (1979-87). They then enjoyed several years of cruising much of the United States in a fifth-wheel mobile home, visiting friends and family (1987-96). After retiring full time in 1996, she and Art became full-time residents at the family cottage she and Art shared with her sister-in-law's family in Eastport, Michigan. After Art’s death (1999), she returned to Three Rivers in 2002, where she enjoyed special times with friends and family until moving in 2013 to Keizer, Oregon. While a resident at Emerald Pointe Independent Senior Living Community (2013-2016) she enjoyed wine tasting and outings with her new friends, cheerleading for the Emerald Jewels and was the low vision champion. Alice will be remembered for her commitment to her family, her compassion for all, her kindness, her optimism, her smile, her laugh and her joy of life. She enjoyed many adventures, was a lifelong voracious reader and, adapting as her vision diminished, became a dedicated listener of many, many audiobooks. Alice loved her family deeply, had many friends and corresponded faithfully with them all, taking great joy in crafting customized cards and letters that were a special treat to receive. She was an eternal optimist and always found a way to see the best in everyone. Even through the worst difficulties she would seek the positive. She followed her mother’s example to “be kind” and never failed to encourage others to do so as well. She made each of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren feel special and well loved. Her greatest joys were her children, grandchildren, their families, her best friend, Art, and her brother, Bill. She was always there for them and will be greatly missed. She is survived by her loving children and grandchildren, Arthur E. III (Janis) of Falls Church, VA (Kelsey Erin of College Park, MD and Arthur Brandt of Washington, DC); James L. (Sally) of Vancouver, WA (Angela of Murray, UT and Abigale and Andrew both of Vancouver, WA); Jeanine A. (Ron) Jeffers-Woolf of Fairbanks, AK (Thomas of Caldwell, ID, Nicholas of Austin, TX and Daniel of Fairbanks, AK); and Jodine L. of Keizer, OR; Five great grandchildren (Pyper, Porter, Tobias, Colette, and Samuel); 11 very special nieces and nephews; and Two very dear friends, Marty Trett and Meredith Sheridan of Keizer, OR. She was preceded in death by her husband; her mother, Pauline Ellet Abshire; her father, William LeClair Abshire; her brothers, William (Bill) Abshire and James Abshire; her cousin and friend Suzette (Suzy) Warner; her sister-in-law Jean Jeffers Meyer; and her niece Christine Abshire. Per her wishes, no services are planned at this time. Alice asked that, in her memory, you take a moment of quiet reflection, smile, hug your family and friends, do something nice for someone else and do your best to be kind to others. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Pauline E. Abshire and Florence E. Warner Art Scholarship, c/o the Three Rivers Community Foundation, Three Rivers, MI (https://threeriversfoundation.com/ways-to-give/don...); to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (https://www.macular.org/how-donate); to your local library or to a charity of your choice. The family also extends a heartfelt Thank You to Dr. Martin Johnson and Dr. David Tate for all their expertise, guidance and friendship during the last several years.