Obituary of Jeffrey Kenyon, Jr.

Jeffrey “Jeff” “Bodean” Kenyon, Jr., of West Columbia, South Carolina, received his ultimate healing on Friday, December 2, 2022, after a brief & courageous battle with cancer.  He passed away at home in the arms of his wife.

The family will receive friends & celebrate the life of Jeff from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm on Friday, December 9, 2022, at Thompson Funeral Home, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, South Carolina, 29209.  

Jeff was born in Hackensack, NJ on October 30, 1967 where he honed his street smarts until the age of 12 when his mother moved Jeff & his brother to Bedford, VA.  The Bedford farm, Bonderosa, was the focal point of his formative years, & Jeff adapted his street smarts to country savvy.  He rocked the drums & ran track before graduating from William Campbell High School.  He joined the Air Force & moved to Malmstrom AFB, MT to guard nuclear missiles because of his smarts.  Afterward, he began repairing tires at a garage frequented by several NASCAR legends.  The seed was planted with tire dust & racing.  During that time, his life ran in a regrettable direction for a brief period, away from authority & toward consequences.  His untamed period ended when he realized he had the smarts & foundation to be a better man, while helping others earn high school diplomas.  He changed his life & went back to tire work.  He learned quickly, moved fast & excelled in the industry.  He became an expert in his field & progressed to giant, earth moving tires.  He had the energy to change more tires & work longer hours into his 50s than younger colleagues.  He kept his mind young by playing pranks on his coworkers & telling jokes to everyone; he knew hundreds.

Jeff visited friends in Columbia, SC & met his wife, who was originally from Bedford, VA.  It was 1997 & attraction at first sight, which quickly grew into the love of their lives.  He was her husband, companion, protector, confidant, friend, advisor, love & “pumpkin” for 25 years.  He loved his dogs, Conan & Gauge, previously Sandy & Zeke.  He was an avid Jeopardy! watcher, lifelong learner & read almanacs.  He enjoyed his career, golf, fishing, riding motorcycles, playing pool, traveling, fireworks, amusement parks especially roller coasters, professional sports & capitol buildings.

Jeff became a great man as witnessed by many throughout his life.  He jumped out of bed with a smile, was happy, positive, generous, energetic, smart, hilarious, stable, kind, friendly, loving, sincere, thoughtful, caring, dependable & helpful.  Jeff will be greatly missed by his wife, mother, brother, family, friends, co-workers, customers & others who were lucky to know him.    

Jeff is survived by his wife, Regene Stanley Kenyon; mother, Bonnie Parker Kenyon; brother, Kevin Edward Kenyon; uncle & aunt, Jerry & Shelley Parker; cousins, Vicki Pinckney, Patti Curtis, Jaclyn Parker, Samantha Parker, Rachel Hale, Michela Gentilini & Shane Pinckney; nieces & nephews, Matthew Amos, Hannah Mason, Tressie Amos, Elly Amos, Carrie Amos & Gillian Amos; parents in law, Donald & Betty Stanley; siblings in law, Diane & Wade Amos.

Jeff was preceded in death by his aunt, Linda Parker Meade; uncles, Jerry Meade & Harry Carter.

The family wishes to express appreciation for the tremendous support received from Jeff’s employer of 17 years, Jim Whitehead Tire.  Jeff and his partner, Mike Ruff, started the Columbia, SC location.  The company facilitated Jeff’s transition from work truck to office when it was time and was generous and kind during his health challenges.  The family also thanks neighbors Melissa Martin, Colt Wooten & Elana McManus for their years of friendship that turned into family.