Jeffrey Len Theis

Jeffrey “Jeff” Len Theis of Dallas, Texas, died November 29, 2020 after a brief but fiercely fought battle with stomach and lung cancer. He had a feverish passion for flora and fauna, especially sculptural bonsai and regal canines. He lived at least nine lives, and of his myriad careers, he was proudest of his work in book publishing as a publicist at Warner Books, Pocket Books, Freeman, and Storey Publishing. His favorite author was Carroll O’Connor aka Archie Bunker from All in the Family. While working on O’Connor’s autobiography, I Think I’m Outta Here: A Memoir of All My Families, he developed a close friendship with O’Connor who felt Theis reminded him of his late son. A native of Beaumont, Texas, and peripatetic throughout his life, Theis felt most at home in New York City and Pittsfield, MA in the Berkshires. Theis is preceded in death by his father Leonard A. Theis, mother Jean L. Brickhouse, stepfather J. Earl Brickhouse, and canine children, Gustav “Gus”, Zoe and Chad. He is survived by his brothers Ronny and Jamie and Jamie’s husband Michael. There will be a small service next spring to scatter his ashes, along with the ashes of his beloved standard schnauzer Gus, on Mount Greylock in the Berkshires. Donations in Jeff Theis’s memory may be made to the Humane Society of the United States https://www.humanesociety.org/ or the National Bonsai Foundation https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/about-us.