Celebration Of Life Planned For Manatee Teacher Hit, Killed By Car

BRADENTON, FL — A celebration of life is planned Thursday morning for a Manatee County teacher who was hit and killed by a car in St. Petersburg last month.

Jeffrey Wilson will be remembered at a celebration of life event at 11 a.m. at Bayside Church, 15800 State Road 64 E., according to a Facebook post by the school.

The event will stream online. It will be followed by a reception.

He was walking with his wife, Ariane Wilson, and their daughter, Emily Wilson, in a crosswalk at Third Street N. the evening of June 3 when he and his wife were hit by a car turning from Central Avenue, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

• Also Read: Manatee Teacher Dies After Being Hit By Car In St. Pete

Jeffrey was a fifth-grade and gym teacher at Freedom Elementary School, where his wife is also a kindergarten teacher.

He was hit directly by the car and rolled over its hood, according to ABC7. He was brought to Bayfront Medical Center, where he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit, with multiple brain bleeds and brain swelling.

Ariane injured her shoulder and suffered broken ribs, Freedom Elementary School wrote in a Facebook post after the crash.

Jeffrey’s condition worsened overnight, the school wrote the morning of June 5 in an “absolutely heartbreaking and devastating update” on Facebook.

His family was told that he no longer had brain activity and they gave doctors an order to not resuscitate him, the school said.

The School District of Manatee County told the Bradenton Herald that Jeffrey died the morning of June 6.

A graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota, Jeffrey attended the University of South Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership, according to his obituary.

He worked for Manatee County Schools for 28 years, first at Prine Elementary School as a teacher and technology specialist before moving to Freedom Elementary, where he spent the last 20 years.

A family friend started a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money for his family. As of Thursday morning, more than $11,000 of the $25,000 goal was raised.

“Jeff was a beloved father, husband, son, nephew, cousin, friend, teacher and coach. He touched the lives of many. The loss cannot be fully expressed or measured,” Sharri Cagle wrote on the GoFundMe page. “As an educator, Jeff had a passion for teaching and learning. He had a love of history, soccer, patriotism, serving others, running, and cycling. But his true love was his girls - wife Ariane, daughters Danielle & Emily, and mother Ellie. They were his whole world and he loved them without measure. He was their protector, their biggest fan, and the epitome of a husband and father.”