Camp director remembered

DETROIT, July 26 (JTA) — Like the rivers and streams he loved to explore as a camp leader, 26-year-old Jeffrey Grey had several constant themes running through his life: People, camping and music. “Jeff embodied everything that we try to do for our children,” said Jonah Geller, executive director of Tamarack Camps, where Grey was a camp director. “He loved camping, and he loved working with children. He was the all-around consummate professional in the camping world.” The Oak Park, Mich. native and longtime camper and employee of Bloomfield Township-based Tamarack Camps was in his second year as director of Camp Kennedy in northern Michigan. On July 17, fierce thunderstorms struck the area of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario where Grey was leading a group of 17 campers and five other staff members. During the storms, a tree fell on his tent — killing him and sending fellow staffer Aaron Lebovic, 19, of West Bloomfield to the hospital. About 1,200 mourners gathered to remember the bright young camp director at his funeral July 20 at Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield. The crowd was filled with Tamarack campers and staff members, including those who were on the ill-fated trip. Many of his peers described Grey as an inspiration. “His quote was, ‘There’s a beginning and there’s an end; and, in between, there are infinite possibilities,’ ” said Jason Matney, 20, a fellow Camp Kennedy staffer. “That’s how he lived his life.” From the time he was in diapers, Grey was part of the Camp Tamarack family. He grew up at the camp in Ortonville, where his parents first met in 1965. He was an experienced offsite excursion leader, and attended almost every program available. On the camp’s Web site, he wrote the following about how those journeys helped shape his life: “I realized quickly that my own personal strengths in leadership, confidence and Jewish identity had come largely from my summer experiences. Teaching the next generation of leaders has given me immense satisfaction.” “He liked mentoring and teaching kids — watching people grow,” said his sister, Rachel Ellis of Oak Park. “Jeffrey started to understand how he could really put his special stamp on people by running the Camp Kennedy program,” added his mother, Ruth Grey. When enrollment was low, Grey recruited campers. He also hired and trained his staff, led trips and meticulously planned every detail. “This was his dream job; he loved nature,” said Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. “It’s sad and ironic that he was killed doing something he loved so much.” Whether he was camping, driving cross-country or in the basement music studio he built for himself at home, Grey always had his guitar within arms’ reach. He first learned how to play at age 13; and just three years later, he’d already recorded his first album. He was constantly writing songs and often carried a tape recorder to keep track of ideas and sudden bursts of inspiration. Musically, the guitarist produced and recorded on four self-released solo CDs. “It was amazing to see how creative he was with his music,” said his father, James Grey of Farmington Hills. “He had magic fingers.” “He wrote about the things he experienced,” his mother said. “One of his first songs was about taking a Chevy to the 7-11, buying a Slurpee and starting to drive.” While earning his undergraduate degree at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, Grey played guitar for his friends at Hillel. When he spent his junior year abroad at Tel Aviv University, the guitar came with him overseas. Grey proudly told family members he performed in eight different countries that year, as he traveled with his friend Mike Shapiro. Back at home, family and friends would gather at local coffee shops and clubs to watch Grey perform his alternative rock music. Some of his songs are posted on his My Space Web page (www.myspace.com/jeffgrey) where friends have left messages expressing their grief. Grey tackled life the way he tackled Scrabble, pingpong, basketball and other competitive games. “He was the master — he won every time,” Ellis said. “He wasn’t afraid of anything; he just wrapped himself right around life,” said his mother. “He soaked it in like a sponge.” When he got involved with BBYO, Grey became a regional officer. He even dominated when it came to his family’s cellphone use. “We got a family plan with five phones and he always used 75 percent of the prime-time minutes,” recalled his dad. Grey had big plans for the future. This fall, he was headed to New York University where he was to pursue a master’s degree in public administration. He was also in the process of producing his latest CD. “We knew he was destined for something special — he was going to do something amazing and remarkable, and we were just waiting for it to happen,” said his mother. “He had so much to offer. The world lost a really good one.”