Got some bad news today that a friend of mine passed away. Jeff Beach was best friends with one of my good friends Troy. I got to know him through playing baseball against one another in high school and we became good friends all through college and afterwards. He was a staple at Troy and I’s annual Crabfest Party that we had every August for over a decade. Jeff was light hearted, funny, and a very sweet man. I’ve spent most of the day thinking about him. Jeff was at a softball tournament and was apparently attacked and killed. I don’t know any of the details other than that. One person online said the person who caused his death thought he was someone else. That has to be the case cause Jeff could never anger someone like that. Honestly i’m not terribly concerned right now who did it or why. I’m just sad that a very good guy has died at such a young age.
Dealing with death of friends and acquaintances is strange. I hadn’t seen Jeff in probably two years, mostly cause I haven’t been living in Seattle area. Yet I feel profoundly sad about his passing. It’s a constant reminder of how fragile life is. I also generally feel guilty after something like this. For someone who had a love of life and had people who care so mightily about him has to go, and the rest of us remain. I don’t know. Just had to write something down to help process this. Jeff was a really good guy. It’s really a terrible thing. RIP Beach.
Jason Beem 
I worked with Jeff for a number of years at the Starbucks roasting plant in Kent, WA. He was, as you said, a sweet guy. I’ve been dumbfounded since I found out. The first details that I heard were vague; only stating that he had passed. Then, a friend posted something about what he wished on “those responsible” for Jeff’s death. Now, to read your account, that he was not only murdered, but possibly murdered “by mistake?” This is getting harder to metabolize as the details get more horrible. At this point, I don’t know how much more information I can handle.
Jeff was a wonderful person and a stood out from the pack of supervisors and defied that generic label of “management.” I never heard an unkind or harsh word from him, regardless of the stress that was put on him to keep his packaging crew running efficiently. To me, he was a leader, not because he could tell people what to do, but because people wanted to do it for him because of who he was and how he treated them. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen him since my departure from Starbucks in 2011. It breaks my heart that I will never get to see him again…
I just found out about this a few hours ago. I’ve known Jeff for several years though I hadn’t seen him in a while. Very tragic and devastating. He was a good man and will be missed by many. RIP Jeff
I read of his murder while on a weekend vacation to the beach he died on. His mother posted a note at the entrance to the trail. Sadly, only $2,500.00 reward was offered and if all of his friends would put up a gofundme campaign, maybe $25,000.00 would loosen some tongues.
What is sad is someone making money off of my son’s death. It is like paying a ransom
for someone to do the right thing. I loved my son and I ache every day he has been gone.