William Christopher Jeffers

1941 - 2022

Chris Jeffers, born in New York City on April 23, 1941 to Walter Wilson Jeffers and Mary Walden Jeffers, died at his home in Hartford on June 27, 2022 after a brief illness. It was a blessing that he had the opportunity to meet and hold his first grandchild, Christopher Flynn Jeffers, for the last two months of his life. He is survived by his wife, Dectora Coe Jeffers, and three children: Alexander Jeffers (married to Michelle Marie Jeffers), Natalie Jeffers-Hansen (married to Lars Jeffers-Hansen) and Penelope Jeffers. He is also survived by his sister, Louise Jeffers Brami. While growing up in Manhasset, Long Island, Chris developed a love of piano, oboe and flute. His gift for jazz piano took him and his two talented high school friends to the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1956, where they won two rounds of competition. He was always a member of the school orchestra and glee club, and was active in student government and athletics. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1964 where he majored in chemistry and music, his path took him to Nepal (Peace Corps volunteer), to Washington DC (Peace Corps desk officer), and then to Silicon Valley, California (Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center and Atari) where he eventually headed a consulting firm specializing in providing expert witnesses in technology-related legal disputes. When Chris was offered a sabbatical year from work, he persuaded his young family to try living in a different country, learning a new language and experiencing a new culture; they spent a year in France where the children became fluent, and where the family made life-long friends. Upon retirement in 2007, he and his wife traveled in Asia for two-and-a-half years, carrying only a suitcase and a backpack each – again, his idea. They settled in Hartford in 2010 in order to be near Chris's mother who resided in Bloomfield. A man of many talents and interests, Chris was first and foremost a musician. He made music wherever he went. His love of everything from madrigals to Romantic composers to Bartok to musical theater to jazz was reflected in the music he played and composed. His proficiency with many instruments, but primarily with the piano, meant he was often playing in bands and small groups, or leading the singing at neighborhood parties. He provided the accompaniment for more Christmas singalongs than can be counted. He lent his multiple talents to fundraising events, writing scripts, scores or new arrangements for public and private schools in his California community and for Center Church in Hartford. What brought out the best of his formidable musical talent was his love of sharing the joy of making music with others. His other interests included linguistics, geography, travel, and children's education. While he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, he rewrote the country's middle school science curriculum which in large part is still in use. Chris's warmth, his positive spirit, his high ethical standards and his ability to connect with other people through his many areas of interest and expertise made him appreciated, admired and beloved by many. A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 8, at 11 am at the Meeting House of the First Church of Christ in Hartford on the corner of Main and Gold Streets. A light lunch will follow at the Church House. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to Educate the Children Nepal (www.etc-nepal.org/donate) or to The 1636 Heritage Partnership, Inc (www.1636hp.org), an organization devoted to preserving the Center Church Meeting House on Main Street (the third oldest building in Hartford) and its sister building, the Church House on Gold Street.