Jeffrey "Fee" Powley

It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Jeffery Charles Powley, 63, of Verona, New Jersey, on the morning of Tuesday, October 27th, 2026.

Known as Jeff or ‘Fee’ to family and friends, Jeff was born to Terry and Carol Powley on November 13th, 1962, in Bridgeport, CT. While still quite young, the family moved to Glassboro, New Jersey. There they welcomed his siblings Paul, Loren and Will into the family. Days were spent exploring the neighborhood with friends, playing in the woods and creek behind the house, and nights playing kick the can and ghost in the graveyard. Jeff developed a love of anything science fiction early on while watching tv shows such as Flash Gordon, Lost in Space, Dr. Who and eventually Star Trek in the basement with his siblings. When his mother returned to school for a graduate degree in Fine Art, Jeff took on the responsibility of babysitter for his three younger siblings and sacrificed his afternoons to tend to their needs.

Jeff and Paul were active cub scouts in their youth. Their father was a den leader and mom a den mother. They enjoyed the Scouts for many years and especially liked attending summer jamborees in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey telling stories of the Jersey Devil. Jeff was very proud to have gone on to become an Eagle Scout. He orchestrated and carried out a project to repaint a local Cerebral Palsy Clinic to earn the honor.

The family moved to Cranbury, New Jersey, in 1977. There Jeff attended West Windsor-Palinsboro High School, Class of 1981. Jeff was a member of the swimming and soccer teams. Following in his mother’s artistic footsteps, he enjoyed art at the time and was known for his sketches of Marvel Characters and the Fantastic Four, particularly one of the Silver Surfer for which he won a prize. Jeff was among one of Stan Lees’ greatest fans.

Jeff was exposed to a variety of music at an early age through his father’s job with Columbia Records and Sony Music. Records, cassette tapes and CDs of new music were always readily available. Jeff’s tastes quickly evolved from Pop and Rock & Roll to the British Invasion, Punk Rock and what was then known as ‘College Music’ and now alternative music. Jeff spent many hours of his formative years at local record shops, particularly the Princeton Record Exchange, perusing albums for new music to explore. Among his favorite bands were Genesis, the Grateful Dead, Yes and David Byrne. One of his life’s passions was attending live music. Jeff frequently attended concerts in the Tri State area dragging along family and friends. In his free time it was not unusual to find Jeff listening to music with the latest published science fiction novel in hand. Throughout his entire life Jeff was a voracious reader of science fiction and some fantasy and loved to share his enthusiasm for the genre with one and all. While young, favorites like the Foundation Series, Lord of the Rings and the Wheel of Time Series laid a foundation for exploring newer authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Cixin Liu.

Jeff attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, class of 1986. Pursuing his love of science and nature, Jeff earned a B.A. with a focus in Geological and Earth Sciences, and Geoscience, and minored in Art History. He was a member of the Sigma Pi Fraternity. When not in class, Jeff and his friends could be found biking, hiking and skiing in mountains across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the great Northeast. The gang found a seasonal ski rental in Killington, Vermont, and would travel on weekends from New Jersey to enjoy the slopes. They would hold this rental for many years into their adulthood and later returned to Killington annually for ski and snowboard weekends.

After graduating from Rutgers, Jeff began his career with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection as a surveyor. He moved on to work at Roux Associates, Handex Environmental Services, Dan Raviv, AIG, AquaTek Environmental Consulting, EcolSciences Inc. and most recently as Professional Geologist and Licensed Site Remedial Professional with TRC of New Providence, New Jersey.

Jeff met his wife, Renée Maravetz, during their time working at Dan Raviv Associates in Millburn, NJ. He took her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their first date - the beginning of many cultural outings together. Finding common interests in camping, canoeing and hiking they spent time exploring the Catskills, Adirondack and Green Mountains. Jeff introduced Renée to the beauty of coastal Maine where he summered with his family every year. On their second trip to the San Francisco Bay area, Jeff proposed to Renée on a hiking trail in Yosemite National Park. They were married December 4th, 1999, in Morris Plains, New Jersey. They soon purchased a home in Verona, New Jersey, where the family still resides today. Here they welcomed the arrival of their two daughters Isabella (2007) and MacKenzie (2010). Jeff took great pride in his home and could often be found outside taking care of the landscape, hanging holiday decorations and lights with the girls, or working on his mountain bike.

He enjoyed weekends with the family in New York City going to museums and musicals. Lovers of art, Jeff and Renée made sure the girls were exposed to it frequently, and he was incredibly proud of their individual gifts of creativity. Concerts with friends and family were a regular occurrence, introducing his daughters to several cover bands that performed music that he grew up with. If a day was gloomy, he was sure to find entertainment at the movie theatre with his girls, watching action and Marvel films. Jeff would never pass up an opportunity to take the girls to a record shop to find great vinyls, rarely leaving a shop empty handed. He also could be found cheering the girls on at their various athletic games and musical performances.

Isabella and Kenzie shared their father’s appreciation for the outdoors and loved exploring with him- often camping, bike riding or spending afternoons at the local pool. Jeff took the girls skiing at a young age, and after a few years of weekend trips to local mountains, Isabella was soon able to keep up with Jeff (by then a seasoned snowboarder) on the black diamond trails. This had a great influence on her decision to attend the University of Vermont where she would be able to pursue their shared passions of skiing and interest in the Sciences. MacKenzie preferred hiking or cozying up indoors with her dad to rewatching the Harry Potter or Indiana Jones franchise.

Summer vacations and holidays were often spent with his mom and siblings on Lake Winnisquam or in Stratham, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine. Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island was another favorite summer destination, spending time in the surf and collecting shells with the girls and close friends. He loved food, IPAs, laughs, and was great company.

Jeff never wasted a moment of free time. He filled it with trips to Vermont, Philadelphia and New York, grabbing a craft beer, seeing a show, or sitting around a bonfire with his close friends. Many early mornings were spent out on his road bike. If he was not on the road, he could be found planting saplings and assisting with trail maintenance with the local Hilltop Conservancy. More often than not he would be out in the woods of New Jersey and New York with his local mountain bike buddies, or meeting up with friends from afar - often introducing old friends to new ones - showing them his favorite trails, enjoying the great outdoors and life in general.

Jeff was predeceased by his father, Terry Powley in 2003. He leaves behind his wife Renée Michelle (née Maravetz) and daughters Isabella Aiden and MacKenzie Quinn of Verona, New Jersey along with mother Carol Powley of Kittery, Maine, brother Paul Powley of Dunedin, Florida, sister Loren McCabe (Brian, Claire and Colin) of Meredith, New Hampshire and brother William Powley (Courtney, Charlotte and Dylan) of Stratham New Hampshire. He will be missed by them as well as a host of many family and friends.

Visiting hours will be held at the Prout Funeral Home, 370 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, NJ Friday, November 6, 2026, 5:00-7:00pm
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 1:00-3:00pm
followed by Words of Remembrance 3:00-3:30pm

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jeff’s memory may be made to the following organizations:

Hilltop Conservancy, Inc.
https://www.hilltopconservancy.org/

Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (JORBA)
https://jorba.org/donate/

Progeria Research Foundation
https://progeriaresearch.donorsupport.co/login?form=donate