Jeff Rovers, aged 56, passed away on Tuesday October 1, 2024, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He will be remembered forever for his amazing sense of humour, his story telling, and his dedication to family and friends. He is survived by his wife Kelly (Mathany) and his twins, Kirsten and Liam who will carry his memory forever in their hearts. He will be sorely missed by; his parents, Jerry and Loretta Rovers of London ON; his sister, Lori Haines (Al) and their children Ryan and Jack and by his brother, Jim Rovers (Maria). Also broken-hearted are his Mathany in-laws, Bill, Cathy, Jeannie and Paul, Patti and Terry, Tim and Shelley, Ed and Marilyn, Judy, Ric and Rosalie, Sue and Carol, Barb and Steve, Jeff and Doug and Kim, who have loved him as a brother and friend for 30 years. He was predeceased by his in-laws, Terry Lynn, Mike, Ellen and Al. He will be lovingly remembered by his many nieces and nephews on both the Rovers and Mathany sides. Jeff began his policing career in Wallaceburg and then spent 24 years with the Sarnia Police Service. Throughout his career in policing many of his colleagues became treasured friends. Many of his family members are able to sit around and enjoy their home bars and backyard decks that were designed and built by Jeff. He was always ready to lend a helping hand. Jeff was known for his passion for taking ATV trips with his buddies where he enjoyed some of his happiest moments. He also loved sunny Sunday afternoon naps in the backyard pool. The family would like to thank all the staff on the Rehabilitation and Palliative Medicine Units at Bluewater Health for the excellent care Jeff received. A celebration of his life will be held at the Corunna Legion, 350 Albert St. Corunna, on Sunday October 20, 2024 from 1-4 pm where loved ones are welcome to gather to celebrate his life. Words of remembrance will be offered at 2pm. In reflecting Jeff’s generous spirit friends who wish may express their sympathy through memorial donations to St Joseph’s Hospice, Sarnia www.stjosephshospice.ca or the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada www.braintumour.ca Arrangements entrusted to Knight Funeral Home, 588 St. Clair Parkway Corunna. Messages and condolences may be left online at www.knightfuneralhome.ca Knight 519-862-2845
Jeff Rovers
Visitation Information
There will be no formal visitation at this time.
Donations
St. Joseph's Hospice, Sarnia Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada
Funeral Date
A celebration of life will be held at the Corunna Legion on Sunday October 20, 2024 from 1-4 p.m.
52 thoughts on “Jeff Rovers”
Kelly, Kirsten and Liam and entire extended family. How very sad we are to hear of Jeff’s passing. Thinking of you all and praying for you at this difficult time. Much love Mark and Debbie Burr
Sincerest condolences to Kelly, Kirsten, Liam and extended family. So sorry for your loss.
Rest in peace Jeff.
Les and Linda Weir
Kelly, Kirsten and Liam,
My most Sincere Condolences to you with regards to the loss of your husband and father. Jeff was very kind and helpful to me in my time of need. A wonderful, caring and genuine man. I am very sorry.💔
Kelly,Kirsten and Liam. Thinking of you, your husband and Dad was a wonderful man. Keep the memories always. Love to all
Jeff was an amazing and beloved colleague over many years at Sarnia Police Service and his kind heart will be remembered by all who knew and loved him. Our deepest condolences go out to his family. Leo and Kristin Murphy.
So sorry your loss Kelly, Kirsten and Liam and families. I remember I met Jeff for the first time in Wallaceburg as I was one of the young kids to go to a Tim Horton camp. I believe I was in grade 4 or 5 at the time. My eldest son went to high school with his kids. So sorry for your loss again. Jeff will be missed by all who knew him.
Rest easy my friend, you kept the demons at bay and the next generation of street cops will take it from here. The world lost a giant not only in stature but in your ability to track down the forces of evil and put them behinds bars. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Kelly, Kirsten and Liam,
I was instrumental in hiring your Dad for his first Police job in Wallaceburg.
He was a coworker and a friend. We worked many hours together on patrol.
Jeff was a common sense type Police Officer and really used “The Golden Rule” when dealing with others.
Everyone liked and respected Jeff, you guys can be very proud of him.
I called Jeff a month ago or so when he was in the hospital. We talked and reminisced , it was nice. I am really glad I made call.
call. Jeff was up beat when we talked .
R.I.P. my friend, you put up a good battle with your illness, no more pain . You will be missed.
My sincere condolences to you and your family.
You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely Mike McNaughton
Sombra TWP.
,
Kelly, Kirsten and Liam – we are sending our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy for your loss. Jeff was one of a kind and he will be missed by all who knew him. We consider ourselves blessed to have known him.
Sincerely, Darlene, Doug, Nathaniel and Andrew Riddoch.
Carol and Sue please know we are thinking of you during this difficult time. We are sending our prayers and our most heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. Love Joe, Teresa and Madison Rodrigues
When you were drafted to Chatham from Wallaceburg, I was your front desk officer. My most memorable moment was when you entered the front desk area, lifted the small area of counter top and rather than open the small door, you stepped over it laughing hysterically. I proceeded to call you a few nasty names: translation would be ” a big educated gluteus maximus. At which you would laugh even more. R. I. P. Jeff. Til we meet again.
Sincere condolences to both the Rovers and Mathany families. Such a lovely gentlemen that will live on in the hearts of everyone that knew him! Certainly gone too soon, but never to be forgotten.
I’m so sorry for your loss Kelly…He was a special man!
Sincere condolences to the Rover and Mathany families. On the loss of your loved one. Gone too soon. Thank you for your service.
Many years ago when my son Adam was young we were celebrating his birthday. Jeff came to our home dressed in uniform and with a police cruiser. He was so tall and the children just loved asking him questions especially about his gun. He allowed them to sit in the cruiser pretending that they were driving or in the back seat behind the cage. Thank you Jeff for the wonderful memories.
Just a wonderful person. I am saddened to hear of his passing.
Kelly and family,
I was so sorry to read of Jeff’s passing.I remember our bowling on Thursday nights on Courtright.
When ever I ran into him over the years he always stopped to chat.
My deepest sympathy to you and your family.
Kelly Barnes
I am so very sorry for your loss. Jeff was a lovely guy who always had time for a chat. He will be very missed around Corunna. Thoughts and prayers with all the family. Jo (Thorne-Smith).
My condolences on the passing of Jeff. I had the honour of doing a few shifts with him in Wallaceburg. He was more then just the Tall Cop..he was an Officer who gave his all for the Community he served and those who worked with him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time.
My sincere condolences to Jeff’s family. We were friends for a very long time. I always looked forward to seeing Jeff. He was one of the really good guys and will be missed by so many.
My sincerest condolences to Jeff’s family. He was a man of kindness to everyone and I am thankful when we would meet up during his town walks when we shared our thoughts and mutual support. RIP my friend.
My most sincere condolences to Jeff’s family. I had the honour of working with Jeff for a number of years. Jeff was a man of who never gave up no matter what he was investigating. I admired his ability to pursue whatever he was doing until he achieved what he set out to do. When Jeff became sick he showed great strength in working to return to work. Throughout his work activities there was always time to talk about family and times with them. This man was a warrior in life and his passing is a great loss to all. May you rest in peace .
We were so sorry to hear about Jeff. Vic and I both enjoyed working with him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Our thoughts are with Jeff’s family & friends who have lost a piece of their heart with his passing. We both had the honour of working with Jeff in Wallaceburg. He took his job seriously but never lost his sense of humour. He worked hard & was always a gentleman. May we all find comfort in the memories we have of our time spent with him.
So very sad to hear of Jeff’s passing.
Jeff was a brilliant, funny, motivational guy and colleague. We sure shared a lot of laughs together. He will be missed by many.
Our deepest condolences to Kelly & family.
Ken & Kathy McLachlin
A big man with an even bigger heart. Always smiling, always working hard.
The world is a lesser place without him. Sending my love to Kelly, Kirsten and Liam.
Kelly and family,
I am so sorry to hear of Jeff’s passing. My deepest condolences to you and your family.
So sorry to hear about Jeff’s passing. A pleasure to work with Jeff at London Health Sciences Centre. Thoughts and prayers to Kelly and family.
Kelly, Kristen and Liam. And all extended family and friends, our deepest condolences to you in this time.
Rest well Jeff.
Condolences to his family. A good man whose loss is shared by the community he served.
My condolences to Jeff’s family. Amazing guy to so many, thoughts and prayers for all of you.
Sad to hear of Jeff’s passing. He was a great contributor outside of his profession. Rest in peace Rovers
To Kelly, Liam and Kristen
I hope in time you are able to fill this pain with smiles, belly laughs and true admiration at all the memories of Jeff. I never knew anyone that made life more fun than he did. He was loved and admired by all who knew him and we were so lucky to call him our friend and brother. Look out to all those in heaven who have yet to meet the one and only Jeff Rovers . May he rest in peace.
Jeff never had to try to be friendly, had a great sense of humor and was kind hearted, it was who he was, all of those qualities. He will be missed and thought of often.
I will remember he lite everyone up when he walked into the station.
To Jeff’s Parents and his Family, We are so sorry to hear about Jeff’s passing. Parents should not have to bury their children. We remember Jeff being so tall when he was in school at Our Lady of Lourdes and a classmate of our son Steve. Please accept our deepest condolences. May Jeff rest in peace. Sincerely Ed and Marlene Burnett
Jeff never let the cancer stop him from living a full life. We would see him leaving with friends with his four wheeler all loaded up on a trailer and take off for days. It was so amusing to see him out walking with his little dachshund and he did this every day he could while in recovery from treatments. Rest in peace Jeff. Our sincere condolences to Kelly, Liam and Kirsten.
Kelly and family, Anne and I are so very sad to hear of Jeff’s passing. It was like a gut punch when I saw this.
Rest well my friend. You have been an inspiration to me and many others. See you on the other side.
Please accept my sincerest condolences. May you find comfort in the outpouring of love surrounding you and your family.
Kelly, Kirsten and Liam and entire extended family. We are deeply sorry to hear about Jeff. We always looked forward to seeing him when we were out on our walks. He was so proud of his children and proud of his work in the community and proud of the life he and Kelly created.
Kim and Nick Frijia
I had the distinct pleasure of working with Jeff when he first started his policing career in Wallaceburg. He was a giant in so many ways. He was a professional at his work, a genuine human being with an extraordinary sense of humour and integrity! You made a difference!
Rest in peace my friend. You will be missed.
Kelly, Liam and Kristen, our thoughts and prayers go out to you!
Such a wonderful man. May his memories live on forever. He will be truly missed by his family and all the people that knew him.
We were so sorry to hear of the passing of Jeff. I am so happy that he started his police career with our police service. He was very keen and well respected by everyone. I am confident that he did a great job with Sarnia as well. His family can be very proud of his accomplishments. I am sure you have so many great memories to help you through this difficult time.
Del Lunn
Retired Chief
Wallaceburg Police Service
We are deeply saddened to learn of Jeff’s passing. Sincere condolences to Kelly and the entire Rovers and Mathany families and so sorry for your loss.
Charlie.
I hope that you’re in a happier place Jeff…still smiling and cracking jokes as you always did. You touched so many people that came into your presence… and have left a lasting impression on those who were lucky enough to know you. Thanks for everything buddy, we will miss you.
Our sincerest and deepest condolences go out to Kelly, Kirsten, Liam and extended family & friends.
Kelly, Kirsten and Liam
Sending much love and strength during this terrible time. Our heartfelt condolences to you all.
The Hyde Family
Condolences to the Rovers family. Many fond memories of Jeff.
Sincerest Condolences to Kelly, Liam and Kirsten and extended family. Our hearts are with you.
I knew Jeff as a Moore Optimist member. He truly represented the spirit of Optimism. He was a great guy and fun to work at functions with. Myself along with the Moore Optimist Club will truly miss Jeff.
Kelly, Kirsten & Liam,
So very sorry to learn of this heart breaking loss. Jeff modelled quiet strength and dedication to this community. He will not be forgotten. You are in my heart.
Tracy Tulloch
To you our amazing neighbors, Kelly, Kirsten and Liam. Dan, Leo, and myself (Kylie) send our deepest condolences to you during this time of grief and sadness. We are keeping all of you and your family in our thoughts and prayers right now. Here for you always.
Rest in peace Jeff. You were such a great man and were always so cheerful and chatty every time we saw you. We will always remember you.
Sincere condolences to both the Rovers and Mathany families. Jeff warmly welcomed us to Corunna as new neighbors. He had such funny police stories, far better than my own. Such a gracious man who left us all looking up to him. May he rest in peace knowing he achieved honor and respect professionally and personally. A true legacy.