Jeffrey Brock Tubaugh, born March 1, 1961, went to heaven Friday, June 3, 2011, after a courageous 6 year battle with melanoma.

Jeff is loved and missed by his family including his parents, Harry and Betty Tubaugh, his wife of 25 years, Shelley, and his two daughters, Sarah and Rebecca. Other family members include: sister and brother in law Jennifer and Nick Maraveyias of Wilmington, brother and sister in law, Stephen and Hannah Tubaugh and nephews Jason and Phillip Maraveyias and Hodges and John Charles Tubaugh.

Jeff was an active member of First United Methodist Church of Washington. Jeff was a graduate of Washington High School, attended NC State and graduated from Elon University. He was a manager at National Spinning for 12 years. He most recently worked for Beaufort Community College as the Customized Training Coordinator. Jeff was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity, a Mason, as well as past member, President and Paul Harris Fellow of the Washington Rotary. He was a past board member of the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation and current Board President of the Shepard Cancer Foundation. His time with the Cancer Foundation has meant so much to Jeff because it was a way he felt he could give back just a little of the blessings he has received and help others who were less fortunate and who were suffering. Jeff had a tremendous love of all things outdoors: hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, boating, canoeing, and mountain climbingčhe diligently and happily shared this with his family, passing along this love. He also had a great spirituality and enjoyed participating in the Walk to Emmaus and his Wednesday morning mens’ reunion bible study group. He also loved his time with the Senior High School Sunday School Class at church where he was delighted to share and grow with the young men and women. He was the assistant coach for girls’ varsity basketball at Terra Ceia Christian School, which brought him great joy as well, helping them win their conference title.  He always said how much he has learned from these wonderful kids at church, at TCCS and his own sweet girls.

Jeff would not let himself be defined by his cancer but instead he viewed it as a challenge to overcome and to spur him on to seize the day and live fully in the present. As a family, he made sure we traveled and enjoyed fun time together no matter what we were doing, that would make memories for a life time for all of us. He gained strength and peace from God, family and friends and from God’s creation, nature. He was most happy by the pond, in the woods, or on a mountain trail. He planned and planted our farm with live oaks, an orchard with peach, apple and plum trees and a grove of pecansčknowing that he would not see them mature, but leaving them as a gift for the future for all of us. “Nothing fancy,” he would say, just real. Just like him.

A visitation will be held at Paul Funeral Home in Washington from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 6. The celebration of life service will be held at First United Methodist Church on Tuesday, June 7 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, Jeff would like memorials to be given to the Shepard Cancer Foundation www.shepardcancerfoundation.org or First United Methodist Church of Washington, NC.

Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com.

Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Tubaugh family.