We are deeply saddened to announce the sudden and tragic passing of our beloved husband
and father, Jeffrey Owen Tibbitts, who died unexpectedly in a car accident on July 12, 2025 at
the age of 67. Though his life was cut short through no fault of his own, his impact on all who
knew him will resonate forever.
Jeffrey was a pillar of his community, a man of unwavering integrity, and a source of boundless
love and support. He was widely loved and respected for his faith in Christ as well as his
kindness, generosity, and humor.
He leaves behind his devoted wife of 45 years, Linda (Lamoreau), whose love was the
cornerstone of his life. He also leaves his cherished daughters, Jessica and her wife Michelle,
and Rebekah and her husband Matt. He will be profoundly missed by his grandchildren, Olivia
and Tenzin. He leaves behind his sisters, Lisa and her husband Michael and Loren and her
husband Dennis; and his nieces, Mary and Jennifer and their families. He shared a special bond
with his brother-in-law, Stephen and wife Kathy, and their five children, Cecelia, Katelyn,
Jennifer, AJ (d.), and Stephanie.
He was predeceased by his brother, Brian; and his parents, Frank and Lila Jane Tibbitts.
Jeffrey was a 22-year career veteran of the Air Force retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant. His
time serving our country brought him and his family all over the world with highlights being in
Germany and England. His career of cryptology in cybersecurity continued into his civilian life as he remained in the field until fully retiring in June 2025.
He was an avid golfer and passionately rooted for all Boston sports, (as a true Boston sports fan does) but especially enjoyed rooting on the Red Sox with Linda.
A memorial service to celebrate Jeffrey’s life will be held at New Hope Bible Church in Front
Royal on July 18, 2025 at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Wounded Warrior Project in his memory
We will carry his memory in our hearts always. May he rest in peace.
My friend Jeff such a tragic end. You will be missed my friend.
Alan Winters, USAF Retired.
My brother Jeff was a wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle, son, and grandson, known for his great sense of humor and his deep affection for those around him.
His sudden and shocking passing leaves a profound void, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
May we continue to support Linda, Jessica, and Rebekah as they navigate this difficult loss.
I knew Jeff and worked with him.
Super person! We have lost a super Senior NCO, husband and father. We know he was welcomed to his eternal home by Jesus!
I am sorry I won’t be at Jeff’s memorial as I’ll be in Wisconsin on a trip that day–but on Friday at 1400 my thoughts will be with Linda and all the people who loved Jeff.
I received a call you never want to get—the voice on the other end of the line said Jeff Tibbitts has lost his life in an automobile accident. Shock is the only thing I felt. After all, Jeff, Billy Hester and I had been communicating over TEAMS (an online chat function) for several months leading up to Jeff’s official last duty of 10 June 2025—including the 10th of June. The following is the transcript from the last conversation we had:
Tibbitts, Jeffrey O CTR USSF SDA (USA) (Guest)
6/10 11:04 AM
Gentlemen — Yes, this is the last full-time day. They are delaying debriefing me as they are discussing some potential part-time support but that is not finalized just yet. Anyway, I am putting some final touches on an email that you will receive shortly. I appreciate you both and value your friendship more than you know. I want to thank-you both for touching and impacting my life as I am a better person (most of the time)! I am looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me and am hopeful that our paths will cross again!
6/10 11:31 AM
The following two things are from me:
Time doesn’t take away from friendship, nor does separation.
Always know you’ve got friends in Illinois big Jeff! Congratulations on a great career of serving others–what is better?
I’d known Jeff since about 2003 when we worked on several projects together, those projects led us to become closer, and we formed a friendship. Jeff was a character! He was fiery, passionate, stubborn and opinionated—I loved all of it!! I am what you might call a “crap” disturber. I enjoyed seeing every one of Jeff’s emotions on display and I did all I could to help with that. As mentioned in his obituary, Jeff was a devoted New England sports fan. His and my relationship led to a lot of discussions about football, not because we were both Patriots fans, no because I was a NY Giants fan and those of you who may not know our respective teams played in a few very meaningful games against each other over the years. I loved that I could get Jeff riled up on a Monday morning if the Patriots had lost, because he was so easy to rile up. I can’t tell you all the hilarious times we had going back and forth, but I’ll share one that a few friends of his know well. We were at work one day; the Patriots were getting ready to play the Giants in a regular season game. I was bored, and I heard Jeff over on the other side of the cubicle, so I figured, hey, let’s have some fun. I went over and told Jeff how the Giants were not only going to beat the Patriots, but I would also tell him of the score of the game before it started. If you know Jeff, I want you to picture him whipping his head around and saying wait, wait, wait …. You’re telling me you can tell me the score of the game before it starts? I said yes, I will tell you the score of the game before he starts. In fact, I’ll bet you five dollars I can do it. He repeated, “You’re going to tell me the score of the game—before it starts”? I said, yes—before it starts. He said, okay, bet—and we shook hands. I told him the score of every game before it starts is zero to zero; you owe me five bucks! I can’t do justice to Jeff’s reaction with words, but the fact I had him duped him led to him crumpling up a 20-dollar bill (remember we only bet 5) and throwing it on the floor telling me to take the money. I could not stop laughing—he was so mad. I picked up the money, gave it to him and said I was never going to take your money—I wanted a million-dollar reaction … and Jeff did not disappoint.
I have many, many stories about my time with Jeff and I’d be remiss to not capture the essence of what I saw as the foundation of Jeff’s life. First and foremost, he was a devoted Christian who lived his life for Christ. Second, he loved his kids and grandkids. Rebekah and Jessica, you don’t know me—but I know you because of how fondly your dad spoke of you. I hope it brings comfort to you to know that no matter what you were your Dad’s princesses. Tenzin and Olivia, know that your grandfather loved you dearly—I’m certain you were going to a major highlight of his retirement years and I’m so very sorry you won’t have him for that time. But hold on to the fact that he loved you and you held a place in his heart just reserved for both of you. Finally, his love for his wife Linda was unwavering. Many times, you hear people say that, but I saw it lived out through Jeff. Wives may not know what their husbands are like when they aren’t with them. Linda, Jeff loved you and you were the queen of his life. He would ask us to pray for you through your health issues and spoke fondly of you always. You two were a gift from God to one another, and my heart hurts that he won’t have life with you after retirement that he wanted, but his faith in Christ means today he sits next to our father in heaven, and he has been welcomed as the faithful servant he has been his whole life. I grieve for the loss of my friend, and the fact we don’t get to make anymore memories together here on earth. However, I pray one day he will greet me in heaven, he will tell me how he is now a scratch golfer, and I’ll know fully that God can truly work miracles. LOL
Jeff, I love you man, and I hope you felt loved by me. Everyone we lose takes a piece of us with them, but luckily for me, they also leave a piece of themselves behind—I’ll cherish my memories of Jeff for the rest of my life, and I hope we get to do that fishing together on the other side.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike
Met Jeff and Linda shortly after we started worshiping at New Hope Bible Church. Jeff, while we grieve your absence from our world, Jesus rejoices your presence in His.
Jeff and I shared similar interests in military and after military careers. Jeff was a strong Christian in his actions and devotion to his Linda. I enjoyed our conversations on various matters.
Jeff, you are where you are meant to be. We shall rejoice together in eternity.
Thad & Hyesong
My sincere condolences to Jeff’s family and friends on his loss. He was quite a man and though we only worked together for the last few years, I feel fortunate that he sought me out and for the progress we made on our projects together. He was a great catalyst for our work and I will miss him greatly.
Gloria and I will keep Jeff and his family in our prayers.
I’m still in shock from hearing this. I’m so sorry for your loss of a great man, loving husband and father, and grandfather. Jeff was such a fun and lively friend. He, Mike Monroe, and I used to sit downstairs for breakfast most mornings when he worked here at Scott AFB, IL. Man, he had some funny stories. He loved Jesus and golf. He was a hoot to be on the golf course with. Mike and I were just talking to him a couple weeks back about how he was looking forward to heading back to Maine, but possibly still doing some contract work. What I would give to go hit some golf balls with him again, or sit down in the cafe and tell stories. He will forever be missed. Love you, Brother!
Thinking of you,
Billy Hester
Linda, Jessica, & Rebekah,
Jeff and I were stationed together a couple of times in the military and our first job after retirement was working side by side. A ton of memories flashed before me when I got word that Jeff had passed.
Our condolences and prayers are with you all.
Chris & Barbara Olcese’
The most inadequate words in the English language are “I’m Sorry”. Unfortunately, those are the only ones that we have in a time such as this. I say them sincerely to his family, “I’m sorry.”
Our discipline has lost a lion and America a champion. I first met then MSgt Tibbitts in the late 1990’s in Europe and our paths crossed again in the 2010’s. His depth of knowledge was remarkable, his commitment to the mission profound. If there was going to be a discussion and he was involved, I had to bring my “A Game” every single time. He made me a better COMSEC Manager and a better NCO.
He always spoke sincerely and warmly about his family. He cherished all of you.
Wounded Warrior donation made as requested.