Jeff was my one and only steady boyfriend while at CLHS. We met on our daily bus ride to and from school to Bonita. We dated during junior and senior year.
Jeff was a wonderful boyfriend. He was really handsome and had an edgey New Jersey persona (his family was originally from Butler, NJ) which I guess I found appealing because he was so different than me. He was very industrious and always had a job to earn spending money. He was talented and capable of doing many things like electronics, home improvements and restaurant work which was his primary job at the time. He worked at Farina's Italian restaurant in Naples and the Rooftop restaurant on Bonita Beach. We enjoyed the normal teenage activities; going to the beach, movies at the theatre on F.M. Beach (Santini Plaza), out for pizza at Chuck's Poor House on Bonita Bch, Carl Johnson Park. Back in 1970's Bonita Springs there wasn't much else to do. At first we rode around in his dad's station wagon...the one with the fake wood panels on the sides! Funny to think that now-a-days kids wouldn't be caught riding around in a car like that...they'd be embarrassed! But back then, it was transportation and we were happy to have wheels! Soon thereafter Jeff bought a motorcycle and we loved zipping around on it, although I'm sure my mother wasn't thrilled. We did take one "long" day cycle trip to the Miami zoo. Really sore tushy by day's end but it was fun! Then after the cycle, he bought a brand new, shiny red Honda Civic...one of the first Hondas produced. He was very proud that he bought it with his own hard earned money. It was a cute car and fun to ride in! We also liked hiking in the slash pine woods in what is now Bonita Bay. I lived on the opposite side of the Imperial River and in those days, there were woods as far as the eye could see. That was probably before U.S. 41 was four laned.
In addition to being fun, Jeff was kind and generous. He loved to give me gifts, specifically Fenton glass items and a Victorian Fenton glass lamp of which I still have in my home today. At prom time, he escorted not only me, but my GF's Janice Watterson and Barbara Watson as well. He was a real gentleman! He also took me to Grad night and was my date on the Senior cruise trip. There were some wild scenarios on that trip! Our favorite movie was 1977's The Scorcerer, featuring Roy Scheider, which had an awesome, eery soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. I'll never forget he bought the 8-track soundtrack and offered to give it to me but I declined. Before he passed away I sent him the DVD of the movie for old times sake. He was thrilled to get it!
We reconnected via email about 6 months before his death. He told me about his life's journey and the many trials he faced in trying to figure out who he was as a person. After graduation he continued working in the restaurant industry in Naples and eventually moved to the east coast of Fl. He married Melinda and they had a daughter, Tory. When his daughter was about 10 years old, the marriage ended in divorce. Jeff became involved with a much younger man named Troy and they had a partnership for about 14 years. They lived in Stuart, Fl and owned a furniture/home decorating store. I saw photos; it was beautifully appointed, which didn't surprise me in the least as Jeff always had great taste and loved fixing up his family's home with creative flair. Jeff and Troy lost their business in the 2008 crash and struggled to find work. Before he died, he had just been hired with ATT doing some special type of field testing work with a fancy computer and drove a company vehicle. He was thrilled to be working again and having a nice benefits package. He said things were really looking up for him. Sadly, personally, all was not good.
Did he know back in HS that he was gay? I doubt it. Did I know he was gay? Definitely not. Perhaps he struggled with conflicting feelings at the time. And what did we know about such things as teenagers in the 70's? Absolutely zero. All I can say is that I remember my boyfriend, Jeff, not the man he became. I remember the great person he was and that he made me happy during a carefree time in our lives. That is the memory I will forever hold dear. Learning of the nature of his death shook me to my core, still does when I think of it and saddens me to realize how troubled he really was. All any of us wished for our fellow boyfriends, girlfriends and classmates was every happiness in life. I am immensely grateful that I had the chance to thank him for being in my life and giving me happiness and love. We don't often get opportunities like that in life and when they happen, we need to grab them!
Angela Molinski (Drobinski)
Jeff was my one and only steady boyfriend while at CLHS. We met on our daily bus ride to and from school to Bonita. We dated during junior and senior year.
Jeff was a wonderful boyfriend. He was really handsome and had an edgey New Jersey persona (his family was originally from Butler, NJ) which I guess I found appealing because he was so different than me. He was very industrious and always had a job to earn spending money. He was talented and capable of doing many things like electronics, home improvements and restaurant work which was his primary job at the time. He worked at Farina's Italian restaurant in Naples and the Rooftop restaurant on Bonita Beach. We enjoyed the normal teenage activities; going to the beach, movies at the theatre on F.M. Beach (Santini Plaza), out for pizza at Chuck's Poor House on Bonita Bch, Carl Johnson Park. Back in 1970's Bonita Springs there wasn't much else to do. At first we rode around in his dad's station wagon...the one with the fake wood panels on the sides! Funny to think that now-a-days kids wouldn't be caught riding around in a car like that...they'd be embarrassed! But back then, it was transportation and we were happy to have wheels! Soon thereafter Jeff bought a motorcycle and we loved zipping around on it, although I'm sure my mother wasn't thrilled. We did take one "long" day cycle trip to the Miami zoo. Really sore tushy by day's end but it was fun! Then after the cycle, he bought a brand new, shiny red Honda Civic...one of the first Hondas produced. He was very proud that he bought it with his own hard earned money. It was a cute car and fun to ride in! We also liked hiking in the slash pine woods in what is now Bonita Bay. I lived on the opposite side of the Imperial River and in those days, there were woods as far as the eye could see. That was probably before U.S. 41 was four laned.
In addition to being fun, Jeff was kind and generous. He loved to give me gifts, specifically Fenton glass items and a Victorian Fenton glass lamp of which I still have in my home today. At prom time, he escorted not only me, but my GF's Janice Watterson and Barbara Watson as well. He was a real gentleman! He also took me to Grad night and was my date on the Senior cruise trip. There were some wild scenarios on that trip! Our favorite movie was 1977's The Scorcerer, featuring Roy Scheider, which had an awesome, eery soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. I'll never forget he bought the 8-track soundtrack and offered to give it to me but I declined. Before he passed away I sent him the DVD of the movie for old times sake. He was thrilled to get it!
We reconnected via email about 6 months before his death. He told me about his life's journey and the many trials he faced in trying to figure out who he was as a person. After graduation he continued working in the restaurant industry in Naples and eventually moved to the east coast of Fl. He married Melinda and they had a daughter, Tory. When his daughter was about 10 years old, the marriage ended in divorce. Jeff became involved with a much younger man named Troy and they had a partnership for about 14 years. They lived in Stuart, Fl and owned a furniture/home decorating store. I saw photos; it was beautifully appointed, which didn't surprise me in the least as Jeff always had great taste and loved fixing up his family's home with creative flair. Jeff and Troy lost their business in the 2008 crash and struggled to find work. Before he died, he had just been hired with ATT doing some special type of field testing work with a fancy computer and drove a company vehicle. He was thrilled to be working again and having a nice benefits package. He said things were really looking up for him. Sadly, personally, all was not good.
Did he know back in HS that he was gay? I doubt it. Did I know he was gay? Definitely not. Perhaps he struggled with conflicting feelings at the time. And what did we know about such things as teenagers in the 70's? Absolutely zero. All I can say is that I remember my boyfriend, Jeff, not the man he became. I remember the great person he was and that he made me happy during a carefree time in our lives. That is the memory I will forever hold dear. Learning of the nature of his death shook me to my core, still does when I think of it and saddens me to realize how troubled he really was. All any of us wished for our fellow boyfriends, girlfriends and classmates was every happiness in life. I am immensely grateful that I had the chance to thank him for being in my life and giving me happiness and love. We don't often get opportunities like that in life and when they happen, we need to grab them!