Jeff Blugrind

Page 24 Ladera TimesNovember 2012As Told by One of His Closest FriendsRemembering JeffSave 20% Off anysingle itemExcludes food and sale items. May not becombined with any other offer.Expires 11-30-12Holiday Portraits!Saturday,December 8th12-4pmFree Portraitwith a $50purchaseDog/Cat Food$1 Off $3 Off $5 Off3-7lbs. 12-17lbs. 24-40lbs.Any Brand. May not be combined withany other offer. Expires 11-30-12by Bo Kelleher, Editor, Ladera Portal and Ladera Times Media PartnerOn October 18, Jeff Blugrind took his own life. It's anincomprehensible act for anyone to consider, but especiallydifficult to comprehend given the love and respect that Jeffgarnered from so many people, in so many areas of his life.The "why?" Behind any suicide isalways complicated. It's made moredifficult to those who knew Jeff asalways being so positive and upbeat.People will make suppositions andguesses as to what caused Jeff to thinkthat suicide was the only option and,to a person, they will all be wrong.In truth, only Jeff knew theBo Kelleher answer, so to speculate or to judge isfolly.A normal obituary would list a person's accomplishments,but there aren't enough pages in the paper to list allof Jeff's.He made every type-A overachiever in Ladera Ranch(you know who you are) jealous. He's garnered the coverof the Ladera Times and the OC Register's Ladera Poston numerous occasions and been covered in dozens anddozens of articles that chronicle his incredible impact onour community.As I drove my son to school the day after Jeff's death, Iwas emotionally struck.I see Jeff everywhere I go in Ladera Ranch. I see himwhen I pass the Town Green, where heemceed most events and helped put on theannual menorah lighting at Hanukkah.I see the light poles down the mainstreets, where holiday banners will soonhang that Jeff designed.I see the electric carts that LARMAC1101 Corporate Dr. Ste. A3Ladera Ranch, CA 92694949.388.3223www.halaspaws.comuses around the community that Jeff advocatedfor during his seven years on the HOAboard, more than any other resident.I see him when I drive past the drop offarea at Chaparral Elementary, where he volunteeredtirelessly to help calm traffic (andparents) and keep kids safe.I see him when I pass the lighted crosswalkon Sienna, knowing that he pushed theCounty for safer streets for us all.

November 2012Ladera Times Page 25BlugrindI see him when I passthe many locations inLadera Ranch whereI helped Jeff filmhis Telly-awardwinning production,"Focus On:Ladera Ranch"(see photo on left).I see him atFounders' Parkwhere he was sucha success factor in themany 4th of July celebrationsand the Taste ofLadera.Jeff was a friend ofmine, so writing this is adifficult task. But I hope ithonors him and helps othersknow my friend a little better.Jeff and I met in 2004through LaderaLife, andwhen I found it to be underwhelming,I joined with afew other residents to createwhat would later becomeLaderaPortal.com.Jeff was one of the firstpeople to register on thesite and an advocate forimprovements to our onlinecommunity.He was a non-votingdirector of LARMAC at thetime, appointed by the boardwhich hoped to groom himfor a future leadership position.They had no idea at thetime how big an impact hewould have.In those early daysof our friendship, I hadthe pleasure of designingJeff's LARMAC campaignwebsite and LaderaPortalendorsed his election to theboard.Jeff had previously beena director on the board ofthe Aliso Viejo CommunityAssociation (AVCA) beforemoving to Ladera Ranch.He always had an insatiabledesire to be involved,and to be at the center ofthings.Jeff's father put it bestwhen he joked during theeulogy at his son's funeral,"Jeff suffered from Centerof-AttentionDeficit Disorder!"(Editor's Note: Theremark brought a roar fromthe more than 200 peoplewho attended his funeral. Ifyou were taking photos, Jeffwould invariably mug it upin front of your lens, as inthe photo above.)Jeff grew up in the SanFernando Valley with hisbrother Scott. Both of themwere showmen from an(continued on page 26)

Page 26 Ladera TimesNovember 2012Goodbye Jeff, RIP!(continued from page 25)early age.Scott tells of how thebedrooms in their childhoodhome shared a wall, andhow Scott would be in hisroom, jumping around witha tennis racket for a guitarand rocking out while, inthe next room, Jeff wasimagining himself as a greatDJ, with songs blaring competitively.Scott would go on tobecome an actor, earningEmmy honors for a roleon the NBC show Friends,and Jeff would go on tofulfill his dream of being aDJ, starting his business inMarch of 1981 and workingEmcee, DJ, Audio, Videoand Technical Producer gigsall around the country.DJ-ing was Jeff's wayof always being at the party.He worked gigs all over thevalley, from the roller rinkto bar mitzvahs and weddings.He met his wife Daniellewhile spinning at a hotelbar. The two would later bemarried in that same hotel.They were married for 20years.He also met his bestfriend, Clark Chuka, whileDJ-ing back in 1988. Thetwo of them worked nightclubs from Malibu to MagicMountain and had quite thebooming business with USCfrat parties.They continued workingtogether throughoutthe years and were activelyworking on a show at Disneylandcalled, "Dancin'with Disney."If you haven't seen ityet, it's worth a visit to seeJeff's genius in action. Heco-wrote the script and, ifyou know Jeff's sense of humorand timing, you alreadyknow how great it is.Jeff worked extensivelyin the TV industry, warmingup audiences for various TVshows.When a live audiencewas needed and a laughtrack wouldn't do, Jeff wasthere, making audiences rolland keeping them entertainedfor the many hoursthat it took to film a sitcom.Most recently, Jeffwas working on the set of"Shake It Up!" for Disney.He also worked on AntFarm and Jessie.Jeff absolutely lovedDisney and had been workingwith the company offand on since 1995.Jeff was a work-athomefather who adoredhis daughter Rachel. Heput in countless hours ather school, using his talentand connections to arrangevisits from the USC marchingband, actors from HighSchool Musical and muchmore.He was never satisfiedwith a small production.It always had to be a cutabove.Jeff was also a serious(notorious?) off-road enthusiast.If you saw him drivingaround in his Hummer H2,you may have noticed thewinch and off-road tires, butyou may not have noticedthe extensive repairs thathad to be done after Jeffrolled the truck over severaltimes careening downa sand hill at Pismo Beach,with Danielle and Rachelinside.I had the pleasure of accompanyingJeff on a goodnumber of off-road adventures.We crossed the Mojavedesert twice and took a tripto the Grand Canyon withkids.Jeff was always eager tohelp out others. I recall onecold morning when LaderaPortal cofounder Brett Buchananand I joined Jeff ona trip to the top of Saddlebackmountain.We discovered a coupleof guys who managed toget their two-wheel drivepickup stuck in a place theynever should have been.Jeff hooked up hiswinch and rescued theirless capable vehicle. Thatwas kind of iconic forhow things went with Jeff:People in need + Jeff + CoolTechnology = everything hedid.We have lost someoneimmensely special. Therewill never be another "JeffBlugrind" in Ladera Ranch.He set the bar way too high.We are without ahusband, a father, a son, abrother, a friend, a neighbor,a civic leader.We are missing thetalents of a beloved emcee,TV host, video editor, and adozen or more other incredibleattributes and talentsthat I probably never knewabout.There are so manystories I could tell you, andthat we could all tell eachother about Jeff. Please do.Please tell them and honorand celebrate the life ofJeff Blugrind. He will be sodearly missed.(Photos of Jeff continue on page 28)

Page 28 Ladera TimesNovember 2012Memories of Jeff Blugrind