WTIT: The Blog

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This is the story of my neighbor Jeff Wagner.

The company that I work for insisted that I move to Enfield to be close to my sales territory. I didn’t know anyone or anything about the town. But as the years have passed I love the town with the merchants, neighbors and the people that I deal with. Nobody made me feel more welcomed than my neighbor Jeff.

Jeff and I had much in common. He was single a long time as was I. I have grown children and he had a child, Sean in his twenties. We both loved sports. He’d talk Red Sox and I’d counter with my Yankees. We spoke of the NFL, whenever we saw each other in the winter which wasn’t much. We both worked in sales. Jeff was with the same company for 24 years and it amazed me. I’ve been with Martignetti Companies nearly seven years and it’s a record. He traveled a lot for his job. He’d return and share the stories of his trips.

Jeff was really active. He would speak of skiing, hiking, biking, golf and kayaking. After seven back surgeries, I felt walking to the mail box was enough activity. Last year my best friend John spent over a month here. Since he smokes we spent a lot of time outside on my patio. Jeff would always join us and we’d talk about women (he loved his girlfriend Kelly) and current events. I guess Jeff wasn’t a friend in the sense that we did things together, but he was my friend. A good friend at that. When the love of my life, Kathy moved in last June, Jeff could not make her feel more welcomed. She’d often walk in from the end of her work day and speak of running into Jeff.

I don’t see much of Jeff in the winter. But one day Kathy pointed out that Jeff’s car had changed. That’s not odd, but it was older and rather beat up and that wasn’t Jeff. Jeff was a classy guy. I planned last week to ask our apartment manager as to when Jeff moved. I was sorry we didn’t say goodbye.

Kathy started a new job this month. Yesterday she was asked to clean out the office of an account executive because a new one was taking his place. That’s when we found out. It had been Jeff’s office. My friend Jeff had a massive heart attack while in a ski line at Jiminy Peak in December. He fell by his girlfriend Kelly’s side and died instantly. He was only 62.

I will miss him a lot. I’ve cried a lot over the last 24 hours. I haven’t cried in years. Jeff is no longer with us, but he was with me once more today because he was with me in this post. Goodbye Jeff. I truly miss you.