Jeffrey Tott

Jeffrey W. Tott, age 71, of Sewickley Heights, on Friday, December 29, 2023. Beloved husband for 22 years for Brandy Bock-Tott.
Loving father of Natalie Marie Tott (Robert) and Jeffrey William Tott II (Allison); grandfather of Princess Sienna Callaghan; brother of Carl Tott, Liz Tott, and the late Tim Tott; brother-in-law of Bonnie Jean Bock; also survived by his pets Fred, Prince Jr., Willy, Hopper, Lula, and Tigger.
To say that Jeff Tott's personality was larger than life is a massive understatement. We think that came from the fact that he had an immense passion for life.
A passion for business.
A passion for success.
A passion for knowledge.
A passion for art and treasure.
And because of this tangible passion, his enthusiasm just rubbed off on you. As a "consummate gatherer of facts" and an "expert on everything in the entire multiverse", his story telling was endlessly fascinating. And the stories would be full of historical details, sometimes interspersed with occasional exaggerations. And these tales could go on for hours and hours. And they were truly entertaining. It did not matter if you were his best friend or a total stranger he may have met at a restaurant, Jeff might just strike up a conversation with you and then the avalanche of tantalizing tales, and captivating anecdotes would start to stream out.
Jeff Tott truly had a nose for business and his successful endeavors were wide ranging. Jeff received his MBA at Columbia University in New York, and initially was employed at Price Waterhouse Cooper as a business consultant.
He then put an ad in the Wallstreet Journal and was hired to be a turnaround specialist for Steel Companies at Sauer Group, which provided contracting services for Fortune 500 companies.
Word spread of his business prowess, and he was brought in as a consultant to improve Blairsville Machine. He then started Specialty Bar Corp. in Blairsville, PA, with another family. He eventually bought them out and continued running the organization as CEO and Chairman of the Board. Specialty Bar obtained large military contracts providing connecting pins for military track vehicles and high-grade fasteners for power generation turbines. He sold the company and retired in his mid-forties.
Jeff never retired from avidly trading the stock market, with his eye on the ticker tape 24-7. His broker was on speed dial and was accustomed to being contacted at any hour of the day or night.
Jeff had 2 beautiful children, Natalie and Jeffrey, a sweet grandchild, Sienna, and spent the last 22 years with his loving wife, Brandy Bock-Tott. They enjoyed traveling, dining out with friends and running a few small businesses in the town of Sewickley.
Jeff was later involved in producing several feature films including Tenth and Wolf and A Month of Sundays. He worked with Dennis Hopper, Sally Struthers, Giovanni Ribisi, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo, James Marsden, Leslie Ann Warren, Brian Dennehy, Tommy Lee and Rod Stieger among others.
Jeff's personal style and brand were simply out of this world. So unique that Gianni Versace himself would have approved. He would combine the most exclusive leather jackets adorned with buffalo head buttons with military touches of camouflage, and the ever present fishing or leather vest, and then top it off with wildly colored shirts, exotically patterned socks, crocodile belts and Lucchese double back, horn back form fitted boots. Jeff's identity could never be mistaken.
Jeff had a great affection for Christmas and wanted the spirit to last throughout the year. His home's exterior illumination was always one of the most elaborate displays in Sewickley Heights and could be seen from space. He was proud of his fantastically decorated trees, which were, of course, up all year round.
Jeff had a passion for all things beautiful including art, antiques, and watches and was a consummate collector. He also adored the great outdoors and all the creatures co-existing in it.
He could identify any tree in western PA and took great pride in the details of his home and its picturesque landscaping. He frequently would explain all of the elements and details involved in the manufacturing or assembly of any product, or the various stages of construction projects. He had a great knack for illustrating his life experiences which were comprised of wild adventures and crazy moments all around the world.
Jeff enjoyed traveling around the world and embarking on experiences anywhere from St. Moritz to Columbia to safaris in Africa. He was especially fond of the Eden Rock hotel in Saint Barthélemy and spent a great deal of time there, indulging in one of his favorite past times - basking in the sun getting the darkest tan imaginable. While Jeff was often jet setting around the world, he maintained a passionate love for his country and was a true patriot.
Jeff was also a tremendous lover of animals, especially all of his dogs and his cat. He also derived great enjoyment from buying and raising exotic birds. There were many times the garage was filled with baby chicks running amuck and he had a large aviary in the yard. Fishing at the pond on his expansive property a la the golf cart, always made for a fun Sunday afternoon with drinks and snacks for everyone, and the occasional hook getting stuck in Jeff's hand. Of course he would just grumble, rip it out and continue fishing.
While Jeff loved the great outdoors and the animals that inhabit it, he had a very bad habit of wanting to shoot off enormous amounts of firecrackers during every holiday or party to top off the evening! Of course, this is not such a good idea when you live in the middle of several horse and cow farms, and so would arrive the friendly neighborhood police to shut down the festivities over and over again through the years.
Jeff was there for many people in times of need, whether they were a friend or family member, or someone he just met. He truly had such a kind heart and wanted to help people in any way that he could. For instance, he paid for a bartender who he just met to fly home to visit her family upon finding out she financially couldn't. This is a small example in the sea of many larger gifts given by Jeff throughout the years.
Jeff was just an extraordinary person with an outrageous personality and a truly unparalleled energy that will be greatly missed from all of our lives. He had a vivacious character, almost like an archetypal figure who you feel like you've known forever, or perhaps from another lifetime, even though you just met him a moment before. Nothing Jeff ever did was mediocre. Everything he did was Big. Bold. Dramatic. He was an incredibly caring and loving father and husband, and his family and friends will never forget his especially large heart and generosity, his humor and intelligence. He will be greatly missed. Jeff made so many people's dreams come true.
Family will welcome friends on Sunday, January 7th from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Schellhaas & Sons Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc., 1600 Stone Mansion Drive, Sewickley, PA 15143 (Franklin Park/Wexford), where a service will be held on Monday, January 8th at 11:00 a.m..
In lieu of flowers family suggests donations to Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org or Senior Hearts Rescue & Renewal, PO Box 187, Bradfordwoods, PA 15015, seniorhearts.org.