CHULA VISTA, CA (BRAIN)—Jeff Deardoff, a longtime fixture in the San Diego area bicycling scene, passed away on Dec. 16 while on a road ride with friends on Palomar Mountain in San Diego County.
Deardoff collapsed after suffering a severe heart attack and did not respond to medics’ attempts to resuscitate him.
He was 51.
Deardoff grew up in Chula Vista, Calif. and started working at Chula Vista Schwinn in the 1970s to earn extra money when he was a student at San Diego State University, according to his brother Dennis Deardoff.
What began as a job to support his college education turned into a lifelong career for Deardoff. He spent nearly two decades at Schwinn before moving over to California Bicycles, Inc. 13 years ago, where he was a sales associate.
“I think he enjoyed helping people with bikes and selling bicycles, repairing bikes for the public,” Dennis Deardoff said. “He was a very intelligent person. He could’ve got a job doing just about anything he wanted, but money wasn’t important to him. He just wanted to do something he enjoyed and that was good for the public.”
Jeff Deardoff is survived by his brother Dennis; his brother Andy; and his sister Deanne.
For a full story on Deardoff, read the February edition of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
—Nicole Formosa
