The sadness and shock will never go away, but neither will the memories so many will keep with them forever.

When Jeff Markol passed through Heaven's Gate on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, due to an aggressive form of cancer that took him from us too soon at the age of 57, the initial reaction from all was surprise since he never let on about how much pain he truly was in.

Even those closest to him were caught off-guard by his stoicism in the face of such an ailment.

"The joke at work was that Jeff was an ex-KGB agent because he would never let on if something was bothering him," a friend said.

"And that was the same with his illness. We had no idea how sick he was because he didn't want to worry anybody. You could go to Jeff with any of your problems and he was a great listener and would do whatever he could to help you. But he would never burden anyone with any of his problems."

The lifelong Feasterville resident is survived by his son, Vincent; his daughter, Dana Markol; his mom, Mary Alice Markol; brothers, Jamie and Drew Markol; nephews, Scott and Victor Markol and Declan Larson; and nieces, Amanda, Amy and Ella Markol and Jennifer Hall.

Jeff was a devoted and loving father who also had a passion for golf and tinkering around his house.

His longtime golf group, which would take a yearly trip to Myrtle Beach that he never missed, would pick on him for being the only "lefty" in the group, but Jeff never took the bait. He would just smile like he always did through life and play on.

He also enjoyed finding new craft beers for he and Vinnie to try and would head out to Colorado as often as he could for a chance to see Dana and attend beer festivals with his family and friends.

But what he was best at, even if he never knew it, was helping people.

"Jeff was always the first person to be there if you needed help with any kind of house project, to change your brakes or watch your dog," a friend said.

"But he was also the last person to ask for help with anything. That's just the way he was and he'll be missed by so many."

A celebration of his life will be held beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, March 16, at the Kirk and Nice Suburban Chapel, 333 W. County Line Rd., Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006. A service will then be held at the Suburban Chapel beginning at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon at the Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, 909 Ray Ave., Croydon.