Jeff Arevalos, The Most Fortunate of My Friends
Jeff took Schweetie out for a morning on the water with Captain Richard aboard the Lagooner. He managed to discard his unlucky reputation and catch some spectacular fish. On another note: Jeff is a noteable chef and made a wonderful meal of his catch for friends to enjoy.
A Friendship Begins
Transferring to Robert Lewis Stevenson Elementary School in sixth grade was a transition from familiar friends to unchartered waters and new faces. My life on the Westside of Merritt Island was comfortable and familiar. Dad moved us closer to his brother (uncle Robert) on North Banana River’s shoreline on the Island’s eastern banks. I was thrown into new territory and friendships. Jeff Arevalos and his brother Kevin were some of the first relationships I cemented. To clarify; Kevin was my age and Jeff was simply the little brother. Over the years, I lost contact with the family and reunited again in the early 2000’s on Facebook of all places.
-Captain Richard Bradley
Jeff’s mind is a treasure trove of lifetime experiences. Partly bullshit but mostly true, Jeff has an uncanny ability for total recall from years gone by. Upon reuniting Jeff reminded me of my marble collections and games we used to play in grade school. I’d forgotten about many of the things he can quickly pull from his memory banks. People, places, events and tragedies are articulated in detail. Jeff is truly amazing in this regard.
Jeff’s brother and much of his family has passed on now, but he’s remained one of the most positive people I’ve met over the years. He’s a dedicated husband of Lynn (another High School acquaintance) which is identified as “schweetie”, which he obviously adores. Jeff is a good friend to many and often speaks honestly and open about his strengths and shortcomings with everyone. Gina calls Jeff a “very smart cookie” and I’d have to agree.
During our school years, SeaRay Boats opened a factory on Merritt Island’s Barge Canal. It seems everyone but myself became employed at the luxury boat company. Upon graduating from college, Jeff found himself amongst friends engineering for SeaRay. Over time, Jeff moved around the marine industry as a respected consultant for boat manufacturers.
If you sat down with Jeff, you’d think he had a personal chapter in Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events novel. Personal tragedies, family events, health, and many other experiences are told at each outing. If you didn’t know better, you’d stay clear of Jeff and remain aloof from his misfortune. While Jeff seems prone to “unfortunate events”, many of his friends have learned to roll their eyes and listen to his next tragedy unfold. You can be assured that the waitress will miscalculate his bill or he’ll blow a flip flop strap and stumble out the restaurant parking lot. Whatever happens, we all feel fortunate to know Jeff and his beautiful blue-eyed partner Lynn. Just be aware that you may too become a tragic footnote in the next outing if you happen across Jeff.
There really is nothing like being out on the water, especially with lifelong good friends, Capt’s Richard and Gina. It is the joy of great friend and Team Lagooner, they could catch fish in the mud. Both are very skilled and know our local waters like no others. So yes it was day fishing, but more importantly sharing the good time with the Capt’s Richard and Gina. You can fish with anyone, but the two of them make it a memory.
