I was not privleged to meet or know this gentalman, but from reading the previous responces; I know this man was what I someday wish to be. A storm chaser and spotter who goes beyond the call of duty to get the job done.
To the Wear family: The prayers of the TampaBayStormChasers will be with you in this time of need. May our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and yours.
Jeff will always be one of the most memorable students I have ever taught. Even in 6th grade, his talent was apparent. While I am saddened by the loss of this very special person. I am heartened to know that Jeff was able to do what he was most passionate about during the course of his all too brief life. So few people can lay claim to that! He is an inspiration to others do what makes you happy.
Sincerely, Pattie
Even though I had never met Jeff before, I feel I knew him through his website and sincere passion for chasing. Topped with his uncanny humor, I know I would have enjoyed meeting the man.
May his family find the strength to recover from this awful tragedy.
if theres a rare type of person its a storm chaser and to lose any human being is a very sad thing. i cant imagine what jeff's family must be feeling from this tragic loss. my heart goes out to them and all the other storm chasers that were affected by this and remember the next storm we chase jeff will be chasing with us from above.
The chase community mourns the loss of a veteran, champion, and true friend in Jeff Wear. I never knew Jeff, but admired his work and winning attitude. May he never be forgotten.
Chase on, friend.
may he rest in paradise. a unique man who will be missed greatly in this world.
I'm deeply sadden to hear about the accident that took away a bright young man. I had first communicated with Jeff back in the early 90s when I was a forecaster at the NWS office in Corpus Christi. He was on a Prodigy Weather BBS and I noticed he was from California, close to my hometown of Sacramento. He was a young teen back then, but Jeff had a lot of questions about forecasting weather. When I transfer to my current back to Sacramento in the spring of 1994, I invited him to our Sacramento office for a tour. He quickly joined our local Sacramento Chapter of the AMS. Even though he lived a good distance from our office, he would attend our local AMS meeting on a regular basis. He quickly became on of our youngest NWS spotter for us and also became one of our most dependable spotter too. He had a weather station and would produced his own monthly climate data that he would e-mail to us. He is one of the main reasons why we put the town of Turlock into our NWS office web page.
Even though he left Sacramento in the late 90s and moved to the Midwest, he would occasionally write back with wonderful storm pictures. I knew he had always kept safety in mind. I also knew he also usually kept in touch with the local NWS offices when he spotted potentially dangerous weather situation in the area.
During his trip back to Turlock earlier this year, we had a rare California severe weather outbreak over Northern CA. He called our office and provided us with important information during this severe weather event.
On behalf of the National Weather Service office in Sacramento and the American Meteological Society of Sacramento, I would like to say that Jeff Wear's contributions to the meteorological communitee will be greatly missed. He was a very gifted young man.
I'm glad to know that he had a chance to chase his dreams.
Ronald Lam
National Weather Service - Sacramento, CA
Sacramento Chapter - American Meteorological Society
Dear Stormchasers,
On behalf of the Wear family I would like to express my appreciation to all of you for your kind and tender thoughts on the passing of our Jeff. I had know idea what an impact he made in the stormchasing arena! Feel free to contact us. We would welcome any correspondence. Always, Bob Wear
Growing up in Turlock, CA, I had the privelege of knowing Jeff since elementary school. We discovered a mutual enthusiasm for all things weather in high school. I had never met anyone else as passionate about weather as Jeff. He kept meticulous daily readings from his personal weather station for something like 15 years, and employed family and friends (myself included) to take readings when he was out of town. While I only dreamt of storm chasing in the great plains, Jeff actually lived it... dozens of times! I always envied the sights he was able to see and the experiences he had. Certainly, being on hand for Hurricane Dennis was something that thrilled his soul to no end. Jeff passed away doing what he loved best. You will be missed, Jeff.
Wow, this is a huge shock. As I was reading this earlier, I saw some amazing lightning out of my window, I knew he would have loved it. You know how tight the chasing is when even though I never met him personally, I feel a great loss, I can't even imagine how his family is feeling. My prayers go out to Jeff and his family.
I am saddend to learn of Jeff's passing and although I did not know him I know of him and I've seen some of his work. A voice in the storm chasing world has been forever silenced but his spirit will ride with us all on the Great Plains and we will never forget his dedication or his commitment to weather and storms.
My Family's prayers go out to Jeff's family we will be with you in prayer during this difficult time.
im really saddened to hear this, i have never met him but know of him well from these posts and i really enjoyed visiting his website. He was one of a kind, and the storm chasing community will miss him. Im sure hes up in heaven video taping hurricane emily as we speak, RIP jeff wear, you will be missed
The world has lost not only a great chaser but a great sense of humor with this tragic loss. Jeff will be sorely missed both here on Stormtrack and out on the plains where his vision has been a gift to us all.
Prayers and thoughts go out to his family in this time of need.
Even though I never got a chance to meet Jeff personally, I was very much affected by the news of his tragic passing. With him being so young...I can only imagine the pain his family and friends are going through right now. My deepest sympathies and prayers are with you. I only new Jeff by his posts here on ST, and I did enjoy them very much. I also enjoyed reading his website. I know this has taken a huge toll on the storm chasing community, and we will continue to hit the inflow in his honor.
Rest In Peace Jeff-I hope there's plenty of awesome storms for you in eternity.
A void has been left in the chase community. Jeff's passion for chasing and his humor are well reflected on his website. We will miss his writings and insight. And when we are all in pursuit of that perfect storm, he will be with us.
My thoughts and prayers are with Jeff's family and friends.
Amongst all storm chasers, no matter what level, we are all equal -- sharing the common love of chasing. Although I never met Jeff, it is easy to see he had the same passion for storms that we all share. It is always important to remember that life is a gift that can end at any time.
I encourage everyone to support the memorial fund to assist Jeff's relatives.
Warren Faidley
I'm sadden by the sudden death of Jeff, I didn't know him personally but always enjoyed reading his posts, hearing his stories which were full of enthusiam and love for this crazy hobby of ours; storm chasing.
While Jeff is not with us in body no more, his spirit lives on and will always be amongst us as we travel the plains searching for the utlimate storm.
Rest in peace, bro.
My prayers are with the family and friends of Jeff Wear. Though I did not know him personally, he feels like someone I knew.
You'll be missed by many, Jeff. Rest In Peace.
When I heard the news from Jeff Wear’s accident I was really shocked, but as far as I know Jeff was living his dream, chasing storms. My thoughts go out to his family and friends, I hope they have the strength to go on. This is a big loss for the chasing community, but we will chase on in his name.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
When a young, well liked and loved chaser like Jeff passes from this Earth it is very hard on his family and the storm chasing community. But his passion will live on and grow with all of us.
For such a young person, it makes us happy that he spent as much time with us as he could.
I feel like I know Jeff after reading all the Stuff about him. It is a big loss in the storm chasing family. To our eternal chase partner...Chase On!
i am so saddened by the death of jeff wear we all mourn his loss my sypmpathy goes to all of you in the chasing world and his family
Jeff Wear was an important member of the Stormtrack community. He passed away in Texas in a traffic accident while returning from Hurricane Dennis. The Stormtrack community extends their deepest sympathies to his friends and family. This memorial will be preserved permanently on the Stormtrack site.
Jeff's webpages, http://www.theperksofchasing.com/, have been preserved for posterity by David Drummond and the people at Dryline Hosting.