‘Always inspiring.’ Celebration of life set for beloved Bradenton teacher hit by car

At the start of each school day, Jeff Wilson greeted students and teachers with an enthusiastic “Good morning, Freedom Elementary” during the morning announcements.

His smile and bellowing laugh were a constant presence at the school, but now they’re missed by many after his death June 5.

The physical education teacher was in a crosswalk in downtown St. Petersburg with his wife, Ariane, and their daughter, Emily, when a car rounded a corner. Jeff and Ariane were hit, and he died from his injuries two days later.

Though the tragedy shocked the community, Ariane said she wants people to focus on remembering her husband’s transformative impact on the people around him.

“It seemed like he made friends with just about everybody. He had an infectious smile,” she said.

A celebration of life for Jeffrey Wilson will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Bayside Church Lakewood Ranch, 15800 SR 64 East.

Ariane said she knows the community will remember his legacy of teaching students important lessons that went beyond the curriculum.

“That’s why I think he really liked going out to P.E. from being a classroom teacher. It gave him a little more freedom to connect with kids on a different level,” she said.

Jeff and Ariane ran Beyond the Bell, the before- and after-school program at Freedom, where he would greet the kids every morning and talk to parents each evening.

Community impact

His friendliness spread through the community and stuck.

George Ameres coached soccer at Braden River Soccer Club and Manatee High School with Jeff for seven years beginning in 2008. He said the two bonded beyond the field when they traveled for out-of-state soccer matches. Their daughters also played on the same team.

“He was always my chauffeur driver, so he would have no problem getting in the driver’s seat and driving us around and cranking up some ’80s rock,” Ameres said. “It probably drove the girls crazy. We had about five or six of them in the car at a time and they were stuck listening to our rock and roll.”

Ameres said he admired the way Jeff pushed the players to be their best selves on and off the field. Jeff emphasized that family and school come first, which made him a personable and humble coach, Ameres said.

Katie Thill teaches fourth grade at Freedom, and though she only knew Jeff for a short time, he showed the warmth and kindness a close friend would provide — even when they first met.

At her baby shower at the school, the special education teachers gave her a gift with a card, and Jeff wrote how she and her husband would make great parents, and how their child would be lucky to have them.

“It brought me to tears. It just kind of made me stop and think, ‘Wow, this man cares so much [about] not even just me, just about the journey of parenthood in general,’” Thill said.

Even after his passing, Jeff’s ability to bring the community together has only strengthened, Thill said.

“He loved life… As much as this hurts, I feel like it has brought us closer together as a community,” she said. “I think that’s something that will last hopefully forever. I think [Jeff’s] unification of everyone has brought us back together as a Freedom family.”

Leaving a legacy

Second grade teacher Mary Himler said everyone can honor Jeff’s legacy by living by the morals and principles he exemplified.

“... You go forward and you do your job and hope to honor his memory by doing the right thing and getting involved in making our community a better place,” Himler said.

The community’s support has been eye opening, Ariane said.

Friends and colleagues in the area have expressed their love and support for the Wilson family, but she also has received texts and calls from people they haven’t seen in 25 years.

“He’d be grateful that we’re being taken care of. That people are looking out for us,” she said.

Ariane said her husband would likely be overwhelmed to see such support, because he didn’t do things for recognition.

After being nominated several times for Teacher of the Year awards, he began to decline them. He would say it’s not why he became a teacher, Ariane said.

But the recognition was well earned. Ariane said he was a humble listener, and made students feel heard by taking their conversations seriously.

To some kids, Ariane said Jeff also acted as a father figure. He mentored students and would attend their sports games and spend time with them outside of school hours.

Family values

The love and support he showed at school was rooted in his family values, Ariane said.

While coaching his daughters, Emily said he instilled the same motto as he did with his students: As long as you try your best, you don’t have to be perfect.

“He was competitive, but that wasn’t his priority. He wanted to make sure we had fun,” Emily said.

Ariane said she and Jeff would drive to work together every morning, and even though the rides were short, it was a routine she’ll miss.

Freedom wasn’t the first time she and Jeff worked together, however. The first time was when they met as summer camp counselors in 1987.

Since then, they continued to find work together, from a department store to the outlet mall.

However, from the moment they met, Ariane said one characteristic of Jeff’s never changed — his belief in people.

When they first started dating, Jeff had a neighbor who was going through a hard time. The neighbor’s parents had separated, so Jeff let him stay at his house.

However, he offered more than just hospitality — Jeff made sure his neighbor continued to go to school when he didn’t feel he could, motivated him to take care of himself, and always offered him words of encouragement.

“That’s always the way it’s been. Even with soccer and kids, he was always inspiring. He was positive,” Ariane said.

Ariane said she feels grateful for the time she had with her husband, and that his legacy will live on.

“I feel blessed to have him choose me to be his life partner,” she said.