Jeffrey P. Dewit

Jeffrey P. Dewit, 57, of Tallahassee lost his battle to cancer on Saturday (10/20) at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. A celebration of Jeff’s life will be held at 1:00PM on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at Killearn United Methodist Church, 2800 Shamrock Street South, with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Jeff to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at www.lls.org . Jeff was the son of John and Lola Dewit of Beachville, Ontario, Canada. Jeff learned the value of working hard his first 33 years living on the family farm (Dewidale Farms). Jeff enjoyed his Holstein cows, and dreamed of someday retiring to a small farm of his own. His social life involved Tuesday night broomball and Junior Farmers. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a diploma in Agriculture. In 1990, a young girl (Sharon) invited Jeff to be her date at a wedding. They dated four years, while Jeff was the main encourager for her to complete her BSN degree. He taught her to drive, and sometimes felt this was an ongoing project, as her nickname “Crash” suggests. Jeff introduced Sharon to The Wealthy Barber and heard from several of her friends how this influenced them. The nieces and nephews and the milking cows approved, so Jeff married Sharon in 1995. They honeymooned in Florida and one of their stops was Maclay Gardens. Who knew they would spend the majority of their married lives in Florida? Sharon joked that whenever someone complained about something their spouse did, she paid close attention, because Jeff was not a complainer but usually the neater more organized part of the couple. Jeff and Sharon moved to Jackson Mississippi in 1996, where he worked on a dairy farm. Two years later, he and Sharon welcomed a daughter, Ashlyn, to their family. Looking for a good place to raise children, Jeff and Sharon chose Tallahassee in 2000. Jeff worked at Prinsho Products. Seven years later, Jeff was happily employed at Capital City Lumber. Jeff and Sharon lost twins, Tyler John and Blake Charles in 2002. They welcomed their son Tanner in 2004. Jeff loved his children and said everything he did was for them. Jeff was a Christian and attended Killearn United Methodist Church. He liked order and routine; he bought groceries every Saturday at Publix, precisely at 8 a.m.. Jeff kept a tidy yard and helped care for his neighbor’s yard too. He lead by example and rarely complained. Jeff enjoyed trips home to Canada and spending time in the Georgia mountains with his family. He loved his wife and was proud of his son and daughter. Jeff believed in caring for the environment; he collected recyclables from work to place in his bin at home. Jeff packed Tanner’s school lunch and drove him to the bus stop until his health started to fail. When he allowed Sharon to take over, it was obvious the disease was taking its cruel toll. Jeff’s parents, his brother and twin sister, and their spouses, all live in Ontario, Canada. They traveled to Florida this past year to spend time with Jeff, which was a blessing to him, Sharon, and their children. Jeff is survived by his wife, Sharon Dewit, his daughter, Ashlyn Dewit, and son, Tanner Dewit. Jeff will be missed by his family in Ontario, Canada: his parents, John and Lola Dewit; his brother, Dr. Dan Dewit (Linda), and twin sister, Shelley Charbonneau (Walt); mother-in-law, Marion MacAlpine; brothers-in-law George MacAlpine (Flora), and Ken MacAlpine (Nancy); sisters-in-law Dianne Emiry (Keith) and Colleen Murphy(Steve). Jeff was beloved by his nieces and nephews Nathan Dewit, Adam Dewit, Shauna VanManen, Jordan Charbonneau, Jason Charbonneau, and Emily Charbonneau. Jeff is predeceased by twin sons Tyler John Dewit and Blake Charles Dewit, and father-in-law Charles MacAlpine. Jeff’s wife Sharon wishes to thank the many people who helped make his final year better: “It takes a village to raise a family, and since we live so far from family our village is here in Tallahassee. Thank you, Jim Lubbers, for taking care of our home when Jeff couldn’t; Carolyne Hatfield, for being present through this difficult journey; Kelly Barber for providing someone I could vent to and so many generous acts of kindness; Amy Price, for mothering Tanner when I couldn’t; Brad Woolery and Richard Ruch at Capital City Lumber for giving Jeff the opportunity to work when he could and for as long as he was able. Being able to support his family meant the world to him! I’m eternally grateful for all my wonderful neighbors, most especially Lillian and Roy Clark, Shel McGuire, and Alice Lubbers. There isn’t enough thanks in the world for the caring, compassionate staff at TMH ICU, his nurses Christian, Amy, Gloria, and Linda Trumbower (Florida Cancer Specialists). They comforted Jeff, me, and our children during our darkest hours. While suffering in pain, Jeff asked our friends to please continue watching over me and our children. Even in his final hours his selflessness was evident. Heaven gained an angel, we lost an honorable, humble and honest man.”

Tributes

Jeffrey P. Dewit

August 30, 1961 - October 20, 2018