Jeffery Michael Isaak

Jeff Isaak, one of the most kind-hearted and gentle persons one could ever meet, passed away at his Santa Cruz home on Dec. 1. Jeff was a Stockton native and Stagg High School graduate who received an associate’s degree from San Joaquin Delta College and bachelor’s degree from Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He especially valued the year he spent exploring art in Europe after junior college, traveling via Eurail pass, staying at hostels and extending his stay by selling drawings of the unique buildings of his favorite architect, Antoni Gaudi, in his favorite country, Spain. Jeff was unique in his own right. His brothers like to say that, in his early adulthood, Jeff lived like a modern pirate in the Canadian woods outside Vancouver, British Columbia, and on the cutting edge of the punk movement in downtown Los Angeles in the 1970s. As a fine artist, he focused on oil paintings lit with found neon, as well as art installation, jewelry making and woodworking. Since 2000, he and his wife, Patricia (Vallerga) Isaak, chose to live more quietly, exploring the Central Coast and sharing frequent walks along Monterey Bay watching for whales, dolphins and otters. In recent years, Jeff was especially successful working with emotionally disturbed young teens, serving as an instructional aid for special education students in Santa Cruz. He showed the boys how to be gentlemen and used a deck of cards as a tool to teach cooperation. In addition to his wife of 20 years, Jeff is survived by his mother, Dorothy (Vignolo) Isaak and brothers Nick Isaak and Chris Isaak. He was predeceased by his father, Joe Isaak. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at the Stockton Hilton.