We in the Lannan family would like to invite friends and acquaintances to a memorial service for our beloved son and brother, Jeffrey, who succumbed to heart failure at the age of 52 this past February in Fairfield, Iowa.

Born 3 January 1962 at Memorial Hospital of Sheridan County, Jeff was the 11th of 12 children raised by Jim and Treva at their home on South Main Street. He attended grade school at Holy Name and, in 1980, graduated from Sheridan High where, besides completing required course work, he also trained and competed on the gymnastics team.

After high school, Jeff attended Rocky Mountain College in Billings, then transferred to the University of Wyoming on a gymnastics scholarship and performed at sports events as a member of the cheer leading squad. While in Laramie, he met his first wife, Annie Easterbrook, also a cheerleader, who gave birth to their only child, Katherine.

Over the years, Jeffrey earned two bachelor degrees, one in finance from UW, the other in technical project management at ITT Technical Institute in San Diego, CA. His professional career spanned a quarter century, during which time he served as an auditor, composed financial reports and managed business initiatives for corporate entities located in various states throughout the U.S.

The above facts present a basic framework for the life of our brother.

At the memorial service, his siblings and other relatives will address in greater detail the question of who Jeffrey was.

He once remarked to his oldest brother that, above all, he wanted to be useful to people and, to this end, he succeeded, as the youngest in the family, with whom Jeff enjoyed an especially close relationship, recently attested. "He took care of me," Gregory said at a farewell gathering in Iowa soon after Jeffrey's death. On the same occasion, boys and girls in Fairfield who Jeff had volunteered to coach gymnastics expressed their gratitude and affection for the salutary influence he had on their lives as well.

Jeffery was preceded in death by his father, James M. Lannan.

He is survived by his daughter, Katie, his third wife, Mea Lama, his stepdaughter, Raven Hawk, his mother, Treva V. Lannan, eight brothers and three sisters, and many nieces and nephews. All have personal accounts to give Jeff and hope that local friends will attend the service and contribute to a growing narrative.

A Memorial Mass will take place at Holy Name Catholic Church on June 25, 2014 at 3 p.m. followed by a dinner at the Big Horn Women's Club in Big Horn, WY.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to "Jeff's Gym" in care of Mea Lama, 2090 Nutmeg Ave., Fairfield, IA 52569.

The Sheridan Press - June 23, 2014.