In March, the tanning community was saddened by the unexpected passing of, truly, one of it’s best – Jeff Valaska.
Those who knew him well rarely found Jeff in a bad mood. Most of my conversations with him, both in person and on the phone, included laughter about some topic or person we knew.
Born in Detroit, MI Jeff spent much of his early life in Ohio. He predated my entering the tanning industry by about three years, initially working for Sun America of Urbana, OH (importer of SCA Wolff System sunbeds from Germany) as their lead service technician. I had just started my own distribution company selling those SCA sunbeds and can tell you that Jeff “saved my bacon” on more than one occasion, helping me out after business hours. As I travelled the mid-Atlantic area selling and installing equipment, Jeff was there to guide me through a problem during many late-night service calls. When my wife Beth and I relocated from Virginia to Georgia, he helped us move. You simply can not put a value on that kind of help and friendship!
When Sun America moved their operations to Palm Bay, FL, Jeff moved to Melbourne, FL where he raised two daughters of whom he was fiercely proud. He later moved just south of Atlanta, GA as he continued his indoor tanning career, eventually joining the Heartland Tanning family. Jeff became vital to the success of their parts department, with many referring to him as the “Parts Guru.” When it came to service and parts for practically every tanning system ever produced, few working in our industry knew as much as he did.
With his wife Laurie, Jeff enjoyed life in Georgia, as well as at their second home in St. Petersburg, FL. He was known for his love of Corvettes, and his classic 1978 Pace Car was a frequent medal-winner. He enjoyed sharing photos of his latest smoked cheese creation or a hunk of meat grilling on his Green Egg. He was happiest in his backyard, poolside, sipping what he often called “a cold one at beer thirty.”
Jeff will be sorely missed by his tanning community family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to Tampa Bay Watch, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to protection and restoration of the Tampa Bay estuary, at tampabaywatch.org. His family plans to have a memorial service at a later date.
