Jeffrey Aaron Bork

Dear Daddy,
I want to tell you I love you. I miss you. I wish that the sun could be a sunflower. I feel sad when I miss you. I wish that stars in the middle could be swirls. I feel like all the birds could land on the hill. I miss playing with you in my room. I wish it could be night time, and you could dream about me and I could dream about you. I wish you could come back but you can't. I wish you could come back and color with me but you can't. I wish that the birds could land on my hand. Dada - I wish the sand could cover the rocks.
Love,
Hanna

What Up Guy!

Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. From the days in 1989 at Amador Valley High in wood shop, to last Thanks Giving with you and Hanna at the house. You were and always will be my best friend. I miss our weekly phone calls and the feeling of having someone that I knew that really knew me. Someone I could talk about anything with.

You were a really great dude. I may never get how you didn't see it. Everyone I know that has met you remembers you cause you had that kind of personality. When Bork Dawg came in the room people noticed. How much trouble did we get out of because of that perfect smile and those big blue eyes?

I miss you so much Bro. I will continue to honor your memory and hopefully someday when Hanna gets older I can be a wealth of information for her. Be sure and know this. I will tell her what a loyal and dedicated friend you were. And, how much of a gentleman you really were.

I will also be sure to let her know that I paid for parking at that Giants game back in 1993!!

The Celebration of Life for Jeff Bork,

My name is James Blackwood and I was not only a friend of Jeff but I was his boss. I want to start by welcoming you all to a great day of rememberance. To me the easy part of today is remembering, knowing, and appreciating the greatness of Jeff Bork.

Jeff was a great man. First and foremost his love for Hanna. Nothing will ever take that away. Then the love for his family and friends. He was a giving guy and always watched out for the loved ones around him. Jeff might have been a little cocky at times but only in the best way. Jeff would give the shirt off of his back to any one he cared about. What a great person he was.

I look back to when I arrived in Oregon. I moved my family from California to Oregon in February of 2006. Jeff was a Route Sales Representative at teh time.

Well I quickly found out what a tight group of guys I had working in my Medford depot. Tehy were a family and I was the outsider. They had so many GM's come and go over the years that they actually took bets on how long I would last. Well I am proud to say that I have not only made it 4+ year but I plan on it being a lot longer and I owe a lot of that to Mr. Jeff Bork.

Jeff was one of the ones who welcomed me and my family into the Medford depot. Jeff made sure that the walls were down. He made it a point to let me on the team. He was a natural leader and he opened doors.

So the summer came and went. An opening for District Manager came about. Jeff went for it and became my top choice. I could not have asked for a better candidate.

This is where our friendship truly took off. We spoke almost every day. We spoke about everything. In fact, I looked forward to it every day. Work, Life, Family, Weather, Sports, you name it and we spoke about it. We became very close. I know a lot of things as all of you do.

So lets get to the good stuff. The best of Jeff.......

"What's up Haas"
"What's up Dog"

He know when I was calling. He always answered the phone with a smile. I loved that.

We would always try to one up eath other.

We would call each other Chief, President, Admiral, Sargent, Captain, and so on...... I loved it!

Jeff always laughed!

Jeff always had a joke!

Jeff always had a BIG SMILE!

Jeff was a hugger!

Jeff truly cared about everyone around him.

How could you not love Bork? Did you ever see him capture a crowd? He was the life of the party. It did not matter if it was work or pleasure, you always knew when he was in the room. He was captivating.

He loved his customers and they loved him.

You should have seen Jeff get up and talk about his accomplishments at his operations review. The way he would talk about his team and what they did and what they are doing. He was a master at it. The words that come to mind are "this guy gets it"! Everyone wanted Jeff on their team. I do not know if you all realize the success of the Medford team. Jeff and the team were the #1 depot in 2007 and 2008! They helped the market center place #2 in the nation in 2007 & #6 in the nation in 2008! Jeff was a major part of that. You could not lose with Jeff on your team.

Well I will truly miss Jeff. Every day our first conversation was about Hanna. And when I say every day I mean every day.

What a proud Father. I did this with Hanna. I did that with Hanna. You should see her hold a golf club. She's a natural. Hanna asked about Jimmy and Alyssa. I took Hanna fishing. I can go on and on about Jeff and his love for Hanna.

It truly put a smile on my face every day.

Besides our daily conversations about Hanna, life, and work you should know some other great things about Jeff:

He loved to Fish
He loved his Family
He loved the Oregon Ducks

In fact I took him to the game that the Ducks upset #1 UCLA. What a game! I will always remember our seats. For hose of you who have been you must remember. don't sit back in your seat. you can ask me about the pictures later.

I got to experience a lot with Jeff. My wife and I joined Jeff in Plam Springs on our first company trip. What a blast. We then went with Jeff and Sara to Cabo San Lucas, Las Vegas, and more....

Jeff and his family went camping with us and we had some great times at Diamond lake. One of themost memorable is when Jeff was Santa.

I also got to golf with Jeff several times. What a passion he had for the sport.

What a special guy he was. So, let's celebrate life. Not just Jeff's life but life itself. That is how he would want it. That is how it should be.

We love you Jeff. Take care. Thanks for the great memories. You will always be in our hearts. WE will do our best to watch out for Hanna and Sar for you. I am glad you are finaly at Peace........

A Dad's wish for his Son is to live and find happiness in who he is, succeed at what he does, love and feel the love of those around him, and to spend eternity with God.

I've always felt that Jeff wanted to do the right things in life and to be a stand up guy.

Somewhere along the way, life's circumstances and an emotional pain, which no amount of counseling, medication, or the love of those who came along side him, could resolve. I know with all my heart that he tried and that he had been trying for a long, long time. I know that he didn't want to leave this way, but hoping that we would understand that his pain, the hopelessness and despair was too much to take anymore.

Thankfully, this isn't all or the end of Jeff's story. I will carry with me the treasure of his entire life, the father-son times we've shared: His first bike, teaching him to play golf, playing golf at the Rock, riding in Papa Chucker's golf cart, golf pictures at Bork's Point, coaching his 5th grade basketball team, fishing and owning a boat together, going to ballgames, exchanging Father's Day cards, long talks about things going on in our lives, talks about family and people we care about, going to church together, and in sharing in the love of Hanna.

Jeff's passing has helped me rethink the idea that being a "good" dad might be enough. I'm sure that there were times in his life that he needed a "best" dad. The past is gone, but the present and future remain. In Jeff's memory, I want to be the "best" father-in-law and grampa I can be.

I had often told Jeff that my main focus and concerns in life were spiritual. The comfort and peace that I have is in knowing that we serve a just, merciful, and loving God. I see Jeff in the safe and loving arms of Jesus, finally understood, free from pain, and happy.

I will always love you, I will always miss you, Dad

Pam and family,
I just heard of Jeff's passing today and I am deeply sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to you all.

Reading by George Alboff, Jeff's uncle at the memorial service.

They say that we should all be at our own memorial services, to see how loved we are. Jeff, I'm certain, would have been very touched.

Jeff, my nephew, was born in Marin County, the summer of 1974 a little over 35 years ago. In those days most adults smoked cigarettes and they smoked them wherever they happened to be standing or sitting. I can still recall Pam, a new mother, a smoker herself at that time, kicking all of us out of the apartment, to smoke outside and out of baby Jeff's airspace. I realized at that moment that Pam was going to nurture and protect Jeff from all evils.

The following summer Micki and I became parents and Jeff gained a cousin, Jennifer. Two summers later Stefanie came along and Jeff got another cousin. Over the years, Jeff and his cousins got together often, played well, and enjoyed each other's company immensely. My daughters have many happy memories with Jeff, building tree forts, leggo projects, laughing, wrestling and teasing each other for fun.

Summers were probably the best with daily swims, bbq'g, hikes, fishing, bike riding and day trips. In winter we would go skiing in the Sierra's. Other times would include trips to Disneyland, the zoo, museums, out on the San Francisco Bay in the fire boat to watch the Blue Angels fly overhead - just a grocery list of activities. The holiday's were always more fun with Jeff and his mom, Pam, involved.

I am reminded of Garrison Keillor's definition of childhood, "a time when someone else is responsible for our well-being, our happiness." It is certainly true of my own childhood; but for most of us, childhood is also a passage that kids survive. As Jeff went through his adolescent years I recall the challenges Pam faced being a single mom. For Jeff, it was his age of dissent, for Pam - a test of her patience, her endurance, her wisdom and of course her love.

My family lost some contact with Jeff once he passed through the formative years and moved away. I often wondered, and hoped that life would be good for him. Occasionally, we heard that it was, other times - that it wasn't.

In the last few years, we started getting together again, usually over the holidays. I was so pleased to see what a fine, soft spoken and courteous gentleman Jeff had developed into. I don't think I've ever heard him swear.

Jeff met and married Sara, found a career path and they had Hanna. Whenever we saw them, together as a family, Jeff seemed happy and content. As difficulties or life's challenges closed in, Jeff appeared to be fully capable of dealing with them.

We last saw Jeff on Thanksgiving. He made the trip down with Hanna and was the dotting father. He loved her so much and relayed to us that his primary desire was to be the best father a daughter could have. Jeff projected all of his fine qualities that holiday weekend. He seemed to have found some resolution, an inner peace to contrast with the strife in his life at the time. Those of us close to Jeff, know there is no other pain like that we are feeling today. The process of our grieving together will offer some medicinal value, I'm sure.

I think if we could hear Jeff today, he would say: "Sorry I'm not here, but I had to go. I just couldn't stay any longer. I hope those of you that I've left behind will remember our good times together and that you'll forgive me for leaving so soon."

Dear Jeffrey,
Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you, or wish that things were different. Life happened, and we grew apart, but I still miss you. I miss hearing your voice and your words of encouragement. I miss your jokes and hearing your laugh. I miss being able to turn to you on my worst days. I miss your absolute amazement at our daughter.
I always told you that you would hold a special place in my heart….and you do. I always told you I couldn’t have been more proud of the father and man you became….and I am. I told you that I would always love you…..and I do.
We shared many wonderful moments that I will never forget. We learned so much through each other, and truly became better people. I always admired your ability to “tell it like it was,” good or bad. You always wanted to help a friend in need, and had such a giving spirit. It was always your top priority to provide for your family in every possible way. I always told you, you’ve made my dreams come true, and you did. You’ve opened my eyes to so many things. You’ve taught me more than you will ever know. You’ve truly inspired me.
I promise to continue to make you proud. I promise to show Hanna everything you wanted to, and so much more. I promise to never let her forget who her dad was, and the wonderful father you were. I promise to never forget the good times we had, and the life we shared.
I know the pain you felt was unbearable and beyond anything anyone could understand. And for that, I find comfort in the fact that you aren’t hurting anymore. As much as it hurts, I can not imagine what you must have felt, and that breaks my heart. I know that you are finally at peace, and will continue to take care of us. Even though you are gone, I know you will be with me every step of the way.

Love,
Sara

From Jeff’s services on February 6, 2010

There are no words to describe the loss I am feeling for my son Jeff.

Instead, I thought I would share some memories.

One of the first being when Jeff was born, coming home from the hospital with Chuck & I. Me holding Jeff cradled in my arms in the front seat of our 1968 white 4 door Toyota.

Our vacations every year in Tahoe, which started when he was 2. Catching his first fish from the lake. Going to Disneyland when he was about 7 and buying me a glass heart shaped charm for my bracelet. His first trip to Hawaii when he was 16 with just the two of us. And, all of the wonderful family times we shared throughout the years, too numerous to mention.

There are so many fond memories, including his recent visit with Hanna on Thanksgiving. Jeff was very positive and he was doing everything right. All of his family and his friends were glad to have shared time with him over this weekend.

His dad has always been an important part of his life, even more so when Jeff moved to Medford.

He loved his wife Sara, even though they had chosen different paths.

The joy of his life was Hanna. He told me his best days were with her. He adored her and was a remarkable dad. She was the highlight in his life.

And, I know he loved me.

I am very proud of the man my son had become. He was a decent man, caring, thoughtful and loving.

I hope all of us will be able to remember the good times we had with Jeff. That’s what he would want.

Sara & I both said we wish there was a “rewind” button and the outcome could have been different.

My heart aches and I will miss him terribly, but take much comfort in knowing he is resting peacefully now in the hands of God.

You are all here today, because Jeff touched your lives in different ways and I thank you all for coming.

Fond memories of Jeff are summers in Lake Tahoe with his mother Pam and my family.
As said by his Aunt Micki, he was a rascal as a child and a gentlemen as an adult.
My family has many pictures of Jeff and the kids growing up and also pictures of him
and his beloved Hanna that Pam has shared with us. Peace be with you Jeff.

You were only in my life for a short time but I will always remember your kind heart and your warm smile. I will miss you. Hanna will keep your spirit alive.
Love,
Lana Landon

I'm so thankful for the times we shared and only wish we could have created more memories together. You were such a blessing to all of us. We were all so very proud of the man you became and the father you were. You will always be my cousin and I will always carry you in my heart.

The news of Jeff's passing has saddened me deeply. Distance and circumstances kept us apart for most of his life, but I will remember fondly the times we did have, especially the most recent heartfelt meeting in the bay area when I was able to meet his wife and daughter. My deepest sympathies to his closest family and friends.

I will always remember you when you were about 7 years old and my son Greg snd I shared a house with you and your Mom in Oregon, we had some great times but most recent was the trip your mom, Jeannie,Bob, you I took to Hawaii and I remember telling your mom what a wonderful man your turned into!
Greg and I are so deeply sad. Be at peace dear Jeff and may God bless your mom.
Gilda and Greg Browne

We have known you since your were born, watched you grow up, become a man, husband and then father.
"Tell me why the road turns?" Only you have that answer.
I hope and pray you are at peace, dear Jeff.
We will all take care of your Mom, and keep your memory
fresh and alive for sweet little Hanna.
My whole family are deeply saddened by your passing.

And i heard a loud voice from heaven saaying,"Behold,the tabernacle of god is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.
God Himself will be with them and be their God.
UNCLE ALLAN

I am thankful for the many happy times we shared, especially as kids, and for the heartfelt sentiments we exchanged more recently. I'll miss you.

Jeff,(aka "Bob")
Know that you were loved by all who had the opportunity to be part of your life. A rascal in childhood, a gentleman as an adult. Godspeed.

This has been such a sad time for all. I pray that Jeff has found his peace in the house of our Lord.

I am not a friend or relative ..just someone who's life was touched by Jeff...he gave a donation through his work to our dance production ..he shared with me his diagnosis and confided in me based on an invitation to know Christ that I have at the end of each email I send out ...that he was a believing man yet he felt his faith was being tested ...I prayed for him and have been praying for him for several weeks and asking fellow believers to do the same...this really touched my heart after speaking with him on the phone...I was deeply saddened to hear of this tragedy today as I spoke with a co-worker ...as I had failed to get in touch with him to return our donation...God bless your family during this time ...I will continue to hold you in prayer...praise God all mighty that Jeff new him and is now in the presence of the almighty. In love....

Sara, We are so saddened and sorry for your great loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

We are praying for you all and hope that you are finding some peace in this time of sorrow.

Our thought and prayer are with the Bork Family,
Love,
The Pilligs
Jeff will truly be missed by all

Sara, I am so sorry to hear about Jeff, he is and was a wonderful person. I am sorry for your loss and for your daughters loss. God be with you and your family.

Sara, You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. pls call me any time. 541-951-6235.
Tracy from the yellow side of the ER at work.