“I am the President!”

By Steve Stillwell

If wealth is measured by the number of your personal friends, then Jeff Hornsby died a wealthy man.

Jeff was actually a very intricate person whose life extended farther than his love of custom Ford trucks. He had been an

active member of Pickups Limited decades ago, rejoining the Orange County Chapter in March of 2005. The Chapter had less than 10 active members when he and his full-time side kick, Ed Oe, jumped in with both feet. Being very active at truck shows and club activities, he and Ed were rewarded by being voted in as President and Vice President respectively. One of his first directives was to eliminate our second meeting of the month, opting to gather at various runs and cruises for the second monthly get together. Getting club members and their trucks visible soon swelled our club roster to 40-plus members! Jeff was born Jeffery Ernest Hornsby on October 4, 1945. Growing up in Southern California, his brother Skip described him as a kid “having a strong personality” He adopted a love for street rods and trucks early in life, interrupted by a 4 year stint in the Navy, on September 10, 1964. He may not have agreed with war, having fellow soldiers maimed and scarred for life, however, he reflected on those years of camaraderie with fond memories. During his Navy years he was a self-described, rebellious, hippy-looking Vietnam River Rat. As he once told me, “Don’t think that everyone who serves in the Navy gets to live aboard large ships, sleep in a bed and eat three squares.” Back in the states, Jeff established his own electrical contracting business, most jobs coming from referral work through friends. He was also an active member of Masonic Gateway Lodge 339. In 2007 Jeff received the Hiram award one of the highest you can achieve as a Freemason. Without question, Jeff’s Mattel inspired ’56 was our club’s most photographed pickup. Hard to believe 25 years ago his ride served as his electrical business work truck fit with a commercial truck box! It came a long way through the years and he never tired of tinkering on his prized possession.

Jeff left us all on January 14, 2009 his final goal being to marry Debbie, his soul mate of these past 20 years. Losing him proves just how fragile life really is. Whenever I see one of those huge palm straw cowboy hats in the distance or catch the drift of a fat Cohiba cigar, I will be checking to see if Jeff has dropped in on us. Hard to believe he is gone. Jeff will be missed.

Pickups Limited, Orange County is proud to host this annual poker run in his honor which generates
funds that are donated to local charities. See you next January. www.jeffsfunrun.com