When I was 11-12 years old, I’d tend for Darwin and Marilyn on Fridays as they had some time together. At that time, only Terry and Jeff were in the family so I thought it wouldn’t be hard to watch the two boys aged 2 and 4 years. Terry was no problem, but when Darwin and Marilyn left the house, Jeff was crying and going nuts! He wanted his parents. I’d stand by the door and hold it shut so Jeff wouldn’t escape. This went on for hours. Finally, Terry would go to bed, and I was alone with Jeff. I didn’t know what to do so I turned on “Nightmare Theater” that would show old horror flicks like Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, the Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati, etc. I thought that it would give Jeff nightmares, but he laughed at all the people being chased by the monsters! He loved it! So, I now knew the secret to settle him down – turn on a monster show.
As a teenager in high school, Jeff had a group of friends which he called the “Bel Air 5”. (I think I remember the number.) Anyway, from time to time, Jeff’s group would pull harmless pranks. For example, the guys would put on trench coats, Halloween masks and go to a popular ice cream place in Sugarhouse called Snelgroves. They would peek in the windows and startle the people eating ice cream. They would then jump in the car (a Chevrolet Bel Air, of course) and drive away laughing. It was all in fun and no one got hurt.
We all loved Jeff and will greatly miss him. We all send our love to Sue and the kids and know Heavenly Father and Jesus will be by your sides during this hard times.
Uncle Mike Curley
