Funny, good-hearted, loving son, daddy, brother, uncle
The third of four sons in the family, handsome, red-headed Jeff, was close to his brothers, Billy, Trey, and David. An excellent soccer player, he could also have been a comedian. He often had the family laughing until they cried. A practical joker, he once convinced three of his friends into dying their hair two different colors. His family also remembers Jeff entertaining the entire family with a life-sized chimp puppet he named Kurt that his parents bought for him at Disney. Jeff and Kurt were a hit in the Salinas household for years to come!
Jeff graduated from Klein High School in 2003. He held several jobs and took some classes at a community college, but academics were not his passion. Instead, he discovered his love for tattoo art and became a skilled tattoo artist in his mid-twenties. “His dream job,” his mother, Liz, stated. “I had to show Jeff that I was okay with him being a tattoo artist, so I let him tattoo my wrist with an infinity sign with the words, faith, and family, in Jeff’s handwriting. I cherish that decision… I look at my wrist often, remembering our excitement at Jeff tattooing me!”
Jeff also loved animals and had a menagerie over his life–two ferrets, a snake, a rat, and several dogs and cats. His parents now provide love to Jeff’s favorite dog, Negan, and two of Jeff’s cats, Slayer, and Beetlejuice. The family have special memories of their trips to Disney World, the Grand Canyon, where impulsive Jeff might have fallen off the rim had his dad not grabbed him back from the edge, and to Port Aransas where the family often went together to enjoy the beaches, swimming, and fishing.
Mostly covered with tattoos, Jeff may have looked tough to some people, but he was a people person and a loving guy, much sought after for his talents and abilities in the tattoo world. Jeff’s primary goal was to overcome his addiction to drugs. He wanted to open his own tattoo salon, make a life with Chelsea, and continue to be a great dad to Vlad. Jeff’s world was rocked when his younger brother, David, passed from an accidental drug overdose. Jeff was in grief and pain and knew he needed help, but the addiction was strong and the drugs helped him to function. Being uninsured, it was difficult to find help. Seven weeks after the death of his brother, Jeff died from an overdose as well.
Jeff’s parents, Louis, and Liz, feel forever broken by the loss of Jeff and David. “It will never be okay, we will never be ok, but we can move forward. We have a loving family of four sons, two have died, but we haven’t died. We have nine grandchildren and their parents and are happy and blessed with them.” Jeff’s humor and his love of family are sorely missed. His mom cherishes his little notes saying, “I love you, Mommy,” and his dad cherishes the trophy from Jeff, saying, “World’s Most Excellent Father and King of the two-minute snuggle drill.”
Friends still talk about how kind and funny Jeff was, what a great tattoo artist he was, and how much he loved Vlad. “We are forever sad that Jeff has left this earth. We know we will see him again,” his parents stated.
Jeff’s mother, Liz Salinas, provided the information for this narrative.
February 11, 1985-September 23, 2020-Age 35
Portrait Artist: Clayton Conner
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
