Obituary for Jeffrey David Figler
Jeffrey David Figler, 71
Born in St. Louis, MO October 27, 1950; Died in Poway, CA May 26, 2022.
Survived by his wife of 35 years, Linda Figler his son Nathan Figler, and wife Megan and granddaughter London Figler. His mother Mildred Figler, and his sister Barbara Findlay.
Entrepreneur. Collector. Author. Speaker. Philanthropist. Public Servant. Sports Enthusiast and Appraiser.
Received B.A. from Arizona State University in 1972, M.B.A. from Arizona State University in 1973, J.D. from Western State College of Law in 1977, M.A. from San Diego State University in 1980 and a Certificate in Appraisal Studies from New York University. Jeff was one of two certified appraisers of sports memorabilia in the entire United States.
Jeff founded the Jefferson Corporation in 1986 as a family business with his mother Millie and wife Linda, which grew to become a national leader in direct mail advertising. He later founded Jeff Figler’s Sports Appraisals & Consulting which was one of the most respected services in the industry.
Jeff started collecting when his mother, Millie, never threw away his baseball cards or comic books. His collecting efforts began in earnest in 1978, followed by the opening of the Figler Foundation Museum in 2006. The Museum includes sports, historical/presidential, and pop culture galleries and has been featured by major media across the United States.
Jeff authored over six hundred published articles about sports, pop culture and historical/presidential collecting. He authored several books on the subject. He was a sports columnist for the St. Louis Dispatch, STL Today, and has written for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Basketball Times, The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles, Collectors Journal, Sports Collectors Digest, SportsBusiness Journal, amongst others. Jeff authored several books, including Picker’s Pocket Guide to Baseball Memorabilia, which debuted as #1 on Amazon.com in the Sports Memorabilia category, and a story of Poway in Poway (CA), Images of America.
Jeff was a syndicated radio talk show host through Sports Byline, heard by millions of people in 173 countries on the American Forces Network. For a time, Jeff co-hosted his talk show with his son, Nate. Jeff was commissioned to speak at events large and small, including a convention for Northern Trust Bank and on several cruise ship lines.
Jeff started the Figler Foundation with his wife Linda in 2006, which has supported numerous causes in the fields of cancer research, heart disease, speech and hearing disorders and youth-related medical conditions. Jeff was a local Sister Cities Foundation Chairman and a Freemason and Shriner.
Jeff met the love of his life, Linda, while a member of the faculty at San Diego State University, where he taught a variety of business courses. He also served as Chairman of the Poway Chamber of Commerce, was on the Board of Pomerado Hospital, a member of Rotary International and the local Kiwanis Club.
Jeff was famous amongst his friends and colleagues for his sports knowledge and his trivia prowess. His father Harry worked at a Big and Tall Men’s Shop where Jeff met his favorite athlete, St. Louis Hawks Bob Petit. His passion was Major League Baseball, keeping old scorecards from when he was a child living in St. Louis.
Jeff took immense pride in his family. All who spent time with him found him warm, engaging, and able to converse and have fun with any and all subjects. He will be missed.
Born in St. Louis, MO October 27, 1950; Died in Poway, CA May 26, 2022.
Survived by his wife of 35 years, Linda Figler his son Nathan Figler, and wife Megan and granddaughter London Figler. His mother Mildred Figler, and his sister Barbara Findlay.
Entrepreneur. Collector. Author. Speaker. Philanthropist. Public Servant. Sports Enthusiast and Appraiser.
Received B.A. from Arizona State University in 1972, M.B.A. from Arizona State University in 1973, J.D. from Western State College of Law in 1977, M.A. from San Diego State University in 1980 and a Certificate in Appraisal Studies from New York University. Jeff was one of two certified appraisers of sports memorabilia in the entire United States.
Jeff founded the Jefferson Corporation in 1986 as a family business with his mother Millie and wife Linda, which grew to become a national leader in direct mail advertising. He later founded Jeff Figler’s Sports Appraisals & Consulting which was one of the most respected services in the industry.
Jeff started collecting when his mother, Millie, never threw away his baseball cards or comic books. His collecting efforts began in earnest in 1978, followed by the opening of the Figler Foundation Museum in 2006. The Museum includes sports, historical/presidential, and pop culture galleries and has been featured by major media across the United States.
Jeff authored over six hundred published articles about sports, pop culture and historical/presidential collecting. He authored several books on the subject. He was a sports columnist for the St. Louis Dispatch, STL Today, and has written for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Basketball Times, The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles, Collectors Journal, Sports Collectors Digest, SportsBusiness Journal, amongst others. Jeff authored several books, including Picker’s Pocket Guide to Baseball Memorabilia, which debuted as #1 on Amazon.com in the Sports Memorabilia category, and a story of Poway in Poway (CA), Images of America.
Jeff was a syndicated radio talk show host through Sports Byline, heard by millions of people in 173 countries on the American Forces Network. For a time, Jeff co-hosted his talk show with his son, Nate. Jeff was commissioned to speak at events large and small, including a convention for Northern Trust Bank and on several cruise ship lines.
Jeff started the Figler Foundation with his wife Linda in 2006, which has supported numerous causes in the fields of cancer research, heart disease, speech and hearing disorders and youth-related medical conditions. Jeff was a local Sister Cities Foundation Chairman and a Freemason and Shriner.
Jeff met the love of his life, Linda, while a member of the faculty at San Diego State University, where he taught a variety of business courses. He also served as Chairman of the Poway Chamber of Commerce, was on the Board of Pomerado Hospital, a member of Rotary International and the local Kiwanis Club.
Jeff was famous amongst his friends and colleagues for his sports knowledge and his trivia prowess. His father Harry worked at a Big and Tall Men’s Shop where Jeff met his favorite athlete, St. Louis Hawks Bob Petit. His passion was Major League Baseball, keeping old scorecards from when he was a child living in St. Louis.
Jeff took immense pride in his family. All who spent time with him found him warm, engaging, and able to converse and have fun with any and all subjects. He will be missed.