On Sunday March 17, 2024 Jeffery Dean Otwell,63, was granted healing from liver cancer and welcomed into eternity by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Funeral services for Jeff will be held at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, March 23, 2024 at River of Life Assembly of God Church. Visitation will be held from 1:00 P.M until service time at the church under the care and direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe.

Jeff was born August 3, 1960 to Paul Dean and Edna Jo Brown Otwell. Jeff was the little brother to sister Vickie & oldest brother to James, Shane & Keith. Jeff left home at the young age of 16 and made his way down south where he convinced a supervisor to give him a chance working on a drilling rig. He proved himself and developed an amazing work ethic that followed him throughout his life. While down south, he met and married Kim Thompson and gained Kim’s daughter, Autumn, who he adored & together a son, Jeff’s pride and joy, Zackeriah Dean. Although he and Kim decided to part ways they committed to co-parenting Zack and they did so in a manner that their families together and apart thrived united. Jeff admired and respected the mother Kim was to Zack and always loved and respected her family, looking up to her dad Jerry especially.Jeff made his way back to north Louisiana, where he later met Gloria who happened to be the daughter of his coworker Marion Smith. He fell in love and they married adding to Jeff’s children, Torie, Trey and Tabatha. Jeff vowed to his love, when Gloria was diagnosed with breast cancer he would always be there for her babies and when her hard long fight of cancer was complete and she was healed in heaven, Jeff kept his promise. The Smith and Hinson family evidently made similar vows to Gloria for Jeff because they have remained as his close family to this very day. Marion and Gloria’s mother Shirley as well as her siblings were there for Jeff and all. Of life’s event until their passing.

After losing Gloria Jeff felt life was over for him. He continued his tenure at the plant and worked off a graveyard shift in January 2005. He stopped by WalMart and was leaving when he saw a woman in need, she was having car trouble and he was determined to help. They immediately connected while waiting on her car battery to be tested. He often joked April laid down behind his truck and would not let him leave that day until she got his number. Things went pretty fast from there. He and April married in June of that year. He gained her son George Lewis Jr and together they had the twins, his late in life miracles, Adriann and Arial. Jeff gained April’s family who also welcomed the Hinson-Smith clans and Kim and Zacks family. The memories made and love that grew was nothing less than God’s handiwork. Jeff gained his 8 beautiful grandchildren thru his 3 unions over time, and took pride he was able to know and love Chance, Gloria, Gabe, Olivia, Kennedy, Mason, Anna and Skyrum. His only regret would be not having enough time with each of them. But he loved each one dearly.Jeff had many jobs thru his life, from working with Keith Canterbury to carhopping at the A&W burger joint to oil rig work & seismographing in the swamps down south to building mobile homes in Simsboro. Jeff made his career at the particle board mill in Simsboro and retired after 34 years of service. He wore many hats there and took pride in his job, serving at different times as shop steward, safety man, and passionately took part in the union of steel workers. The company may have changed hands over the years but Jeff consistently showed up early, worked hard, took pride in demonstrating his ethics to the younger hands coming in encouraging them to take care of the job that was taking care of their families. He made many great lifelong friends there and remained close during his year of retirement. Jeff retired in 2023 from Roseburg Forest Products as press control operator and during that year he often joked that he worked for April now. It was a true statement, he was there caring for and carting the twins to school and band practices, attending football games his girls performed at, and competitions they would have. He helped April with picking up and dropping off for her job. He even took up making candles as he and she dreamed of starting their own side hustle. He was doing what he wanted in caring for his family. Jeff enjoyed fishing and catching up with one of his best friend’s Bobby Causey, golfing with cousins Freck, Billy Steve and Greg, meeting his church brother Michael Lee for breakfast, hanging out or helping with Brother Shane or Son Treys businesses. He kept busy. Jeff and April and family attended church at River of Life Assembly where he truly gained understanding of our Lord and Saviors ways under his Pastors Norman  and Diane Riordan & their families teaching of God. He come to love his church and felt in telling his life story or even snippets along the way he could show how God had blessed him, kept him and saved him. He and April often discussed how looking over his life, it was apparent God had a plan for him. He chose to count his blessings especially in times of adversity and show love and kindness always. He remained a faithful member of River of Life assembly until his passing, always ready to lend a hand, mow, work on small jobs and help how he could. Since Covid Jeff and April joined the online youth group for Wednesday services and enjoyed learning from Brother Lee alongside his kids and wife. Jeff was a loving husband, father, uncle, friend and Pappaw. He was dearly loved by his nieces, nephews & his children’s friends who he often poked fun at and gave special nicknames to. Many will tell of a Jeff that he helped raise them, by either taking time with them, encouraging them, or allowing them to take up residence on his sofa. He was loved by so many people because of who he was and how he loved. Jeff enjoyed a variety  collections, especially coins and antiques. He and his twins often frequented thrift shops and rummage sales hunting treasures. Jeff loved gardening and enjoying his first potatoes and tomatoes of the season, growing squash and peas & looked forward to sharing his harvest with neighbors and friends. Jeff loved working on small engines and keeping his yard looking nice. Jeff was the ultimate New Orleans Saints and LSU Tiger fan. He wished his father Paul Dean could have lived to witness the Super Bowl win but he celebrated for the both of them. Jeff loved old country music especially Hank Williams Sr. and could be found often swinging on his patio listening to Hank & many others of that era. He also enjoyed old rock and current gospel. Jeff loved Pink Floyd and shared that love with his kids even taking the twins and nephew Landon to a Roger Waters concert. There is not enough words to truly summarize Jeffery Dean Otwell. It was his life’s work to love and care for others & this last chapter of life especially to tell of the goodness of God. Jeff is preceded in death by his parents Paul Dean & Edna Jo Otwell, his wife Gloria Otwell, his daughter Torie Shaw, his son George Lewis, his brothers James Otwell and Keith Otwell.

Jeff is survived by wife April Otwell, Brother Shane Otwell & wife Holly, sister Vickie Bassett; sister-in-law Autumn Bailey; children Zackeriah Dean Otwell and wife Nicole, Trey Hinson and wife Bambi, Tabatha Otwell and husband Miles McMillin, Adriann Dean Otwell & Arial Dawn Otwell. Grandchildren Gloria and Gabe Hinson, Olivia and Kennedy Otwell, Chance Shaw and Skyrum Hinson, Mason and Anna McMillin; and a host of very special nieces, nephews, as well as loved family and friends.

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