K of C Council 14754 Grand Knights Page

Bill Jeffries, Council 14754 GK for the 2024/25 Fraternal Year

MEMBER PROFILE OF BILL JEFFRIES

Bill grew up in Florida at a Country Club known as Ridge Manor. Bill’s dad was a PGA Golf Pro and oversaw the Club operations. His mom was the chef and managed the dining room. Bill spent his time there taking care of the greens and filling in as a bartender at the 19th hole where he obtained his degree in psychology and counseling some of the customers. One day a school teacher who was at the club asked him where he was going to attend college since he had just graduated high school. Bill told him that he was talking a year off. That teacher told him, absolutely not. He said that Bill needed to apply and go to St. Leo College which was about 15 miles from the Country Club. Bill wasn’t Catholic but was encouraged to attend. He applied and was accepted as a Business Major. He was a “day” student and so came home every night and was still working at the Country Club. He did very well and graduated 4 years later. Two years later he was asked to work at a bank as a management trainee. Bill was still working at the Country Club until the bank transferred him to St. Petersburg to work as the Comptroller. While working at the bank, a friend invited him along on a blind date where they introduced him to his first wife. They were married in the Church, but Cindy’s dad who was very active in the Knights of Columbus told Bill that under no circumstances could Bill have her hand in marriage unless he became Catholic. Thus, at Easter in 1987, Bill entered the Church and received Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist for the first time. He also joined the KofC and became a third-degree knight. Bill eventually left the bank and went to work for the Knights of Columbus as a field agent and served the area from Georgia down to central Florida. Bill eventually moved on to New England Financial in Atlanta. Cindy was a school teacher and loved the children she taught.

Bill and Cindy had 2 sons. He and his wife were active in their parish and served as catechists, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, and lecturers. By this time, they were living in a little town just outside of Atlanta called Newnan. They had a home and lived on an acre of forested land with their new home nestled in the trees. The county had only one Catholic church and that became their parish home. In 1995, Cindy was diagnosed with breast cancer and fought the disease for 4 years having all the latest treatments that were available. She passed away at home in 1999. Bill was left to raise 2 boys, aged 7 and 9.

Faced with being a single parent and no family members living close by, Bill opted to quit his job in Atlanta and start his own business. He got actively involved in the church and other community organizations staying close to home so that his schedule would align with the boys’ activities and school..

Then one evening while working on the computer he kept seeing a pop-up about meeting other Catholic Singles. He finally joined but realized that he couldn’t communicate with anyone until he paid. The idea that someone had in fact sent him a message, intrigued him and so he pulled out his credit card. That was how he met Monica online at a website called Catholic Mingle. After about 6 months of communicating via telephone and webcam, Monica and her daughter came to visit. Monica was watching to see if Bill really was what he seemed to be on the phone or webcam. Monica said that Bill was actually better in person. Monica observed his activities, his friends, the community and church involvement and was falling in love with a man from the other side of the country! So, things were getting a bit more serious and it seemed that Bill and Monica might actually be a match. Three months later, Bill then flew out to California to see what Monica was like in her hometown. This occurred around the time of his 50th birthday and the Bakersfield Business Conference. Monica and her children had planned a surprise birthday party for him which really was a surprise! During this visit, Bill asked Monica to marry him and the planning for a new life began. It was easier for Bill to relocate to California than it was for Monica to move to Georgia. Bill and his two boys arrived in Bakersfield on Christmas Eve in 2003. Santa Claus knew that the boys would be in Bakersfield and so everyone’s first Christmas together was wonderful!!

Bill and Monica were married at the San Clemente Mission in June 2004 by Msgr Ralph Belluomoni. Bill quickly became acclimated to Kern County and was an Economic Developer at Kern Economic Development Corporation. Pat Collins was his first boss in Kern County and once said that Bill was a master networker. He eventually knew more people in Bakersfield and the County than people who grew up here. Meeting new people and facing new challenges was invigorating and kept Bill motivated. He made friends and made contacts with people wherever he went. He graduated from the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Bakersfield Program in 2006 along with leaders such as Vince Fong, Ken Keller, and other community leaders. He became good friends with Harvey Hall and George Martin among others just to name a few. The banks who wouldn’t hire him when he first moved here, eventually sought him out and offered him a new job. He worked for Rabobank and then eventually retired from Citizen’s Business Bank..

Bill and Monica have found a home at St Elizabeth Ann Seton and are involved in many of the parish functions. Bill was selected as the Knight of the Year in 2022-23 and has served as the Deputy Grand Knight in Year 2023-24. He will begin his tenure as Grand Knight for the 2024-25 fraternal year...

Vivat Jesus!

Bill Jeffries
Grand Knight FY 24-25
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council 14754

K of C Council 14754 Grand Knights Page

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