Jeffrey Ronald Chedister, 66 years of age, passed from this world on Friday, April 3, 2026, at home in Oxford, North Carolina.

Jeff was born in Orange, New Jersey on December 7, 1959, to the late Eileen and Ronald Chedister and was one of five children. He is survived by his loving family, including his wife, Martha Faye Busbice Chedister; son, Zachery Ryan Chedister; daughter, Amelia Grace Chedister; sister, Sara Wittkamp; brother-in-law, Paul Wittkamp; and nieces, Kyleigh, Zoe and Molly Wittkamp; step-niece, Leigh Whalen; and step-nephew, Tyler Koback.

Jeff lived a full and vibrant life. In his youth, he was a drummer and guitarist, as well as a professional skateboarder. During his life, he was a musician, carpenter, photographer, and sailor. His passions included being a gourmet cook, songwriter, novelist, poet, and gardener. Jeff graduated from McLean High School in McLean, Virginia in 1979. He also attended Greensboro College, where he majored in music composition, and he took several courses from UMUC over the years. Jeff lived overseas with his wife and children, working at the American Embassies in Manama, Bahrain; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Kinshasa, DROC; Yangon, Myanmar; and Bangkok, Thailand. He loved to travel and visited many other locations overseas, including sailing the Mediterranean Sea.

After returning from overseas tours, Jeff and his family moved to Camden, NC, and he worked for the Pasquotank Sheriff's Department. When the children finished school, Jeff and Martha retired to their house in Corolla's 4WD beach full-time and worked for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund for several years. Jeff was also a volunteer fire fighter for the Carova Fire Department. Jeff along with his family moved to Oxford in 2023. Jeff attended the Salem United Methodist Church after moving to Oxford, where he helped the church and community by cooking meals for those in need and donating produce from his garden to the ACIM Food Bank. Jeff loved retirement on the little farm in Oxford; the quiet, the beauty and especially his garden. He loved his family most of all and enjoyed coming back to the Lord and the church community in his last years.

Services for Jeff will be on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 1:00 pm at Salem United Methodist Church, 4151 Salem Rd, Oxford, NC 27565. A Celebration of Life will follow immediately after the service in the church fellowship hall. Condolences may be sent to the Chedister family, Martha, Zach and Amelia at 6071 Bob Daniel Rd, Oxford, NC 27565.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to ALS United North Carolina at alsnc.org, or Duke ALS Clinic at alsclinic.duke.edu/how-to-help/