In loving memory of Jeff Priebe

It's not easy to say that a loved on died from suicide but it's even harder to talk about. An average of 22 men and women who served our country take their lives every day. On December 2, 2023, our father took his life. He was just 60 years old.

He left no note. There were no final wishes and no instructions. We were, and still are, completely shocked and devastated.

He had just closed on a house and was getting settled. He had projects planned for his new home and the four-stall garage that came with it. He was making friends with his neighbors and making connections in the community. He looked forward to the days we'd visit and watching his grandkids play. We meant the world to him. Millie and Molly, his two cats, meant the world to him.

For the first time in years, he was better. He seemed well.

He was loved by so many.

If you didn't know him personally, you should know that:

He was a good person.

He had a heart of gold.

He would literally give the shirt off his back for you.

Providing for his family was a priority.

He was a man of faith.

He served our country.

He served his community as a chiropractor for over 10 years.

He struggled with mental illness for years and was under the care of the VA. He was initially diagnosed with Bi-Polar and as Manic Depressive but was later diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from an injury he sustained while serving our country. He was on medications to help with his mood, the chronic pain, and to prevent the nightmares that kept him from sleeping. Most of the time he was miserable. He was trying to do the right things and the system failed him, multiple times, until all hope was lost.

It has taken us time to process the events of what happened that night and the weeks and months following. We are still navigating through the grief, getting used to our new normal, and coming to terms with the finality of his death as we went through his things and the probate process.

At the time, the decision to sell his home seemed like the right thing to do and initially, working with bank was easy. They were amenable to accepting whatever we could get for it to avoid the foreclosure process. It was on the market longer than we thought and keeping the lights in the process was depleting what funds were left in his account. It took a little over 6 months, but we had a buyer and an offer was accepted for more than what was owed on it. However, after closing costs, commissions, and all of the bank fees, we went into closing in the hole. We were devastated. The bank made an already difficult situation for us even worse by not working with us to waive the extra late fees and interest. In hindsight, letting the house go would have been a better decision, but we wanted it to go to another family who would love it as much as he did.

Our dad would not have purposely left behind any financial burden for us.

It has been a long year and financially draining. We are only looking to make up we needed to close on the house and to close this chapter. If you are able to give anything during this holiday season, we would be so grateful.

With love,

Alexa, Jake, Koyer, Kyson, Brodie and Brayden

Samantha, Stephen, and Valorie

Seth and Jayda