Town Commissioner Jeff Wells who died Sunday after a months-long battle with cancer was described by colleagues this week as a man devoted to the town he called home even when his work took him to Washington, D. C.

Mayor John Byrne said Wells had “a deep love for this town” and was dedicated to representing every citizen in his role as commissioner.

“You know how elected officials will sometimes say ‘I represent all of the citizens,” Byrne said. “Jeff Wells actually did that, listening to every individual citizen who approached with questions or complaints.”

“I think his passing is a profound loss to the board,” said Commissioner Cindy Sheldon. He was extremely passionate and very much engaged in any issue on which he was to make a decision, she said.

Ms. Sheldon said she admired him for his ability to listen to both sides of an issue and base his decision on what he saw as best for the overall community. “His death is a personal loss to me. He was a good friend,” she said.

W.E. Medlin, who treasured Wells as a personal friend, said of their relationship, “We were riding around friends.” Both men were interested in classic cars and that was the subject of many of their “riding around” conversation and trips to Sanford where Wells took a class in restoring older model cars and was working on one at the time of his death..

Medlin marveled at Wells’ handling of his illness. “You just wouldn’t have believed his spirit,” he said. “If that didn’t inspire you, nothing would,” he said.

Wells began working with the US Department of Agriculture measuring farmland in Harnett County that culminated with a 42-year career as assistant deputy administrator for program delivery and field operations, FSA in Washington, DC. Wells maintained a home in Fuquay-Varina, however, and commuted much of the time. He retired and returned home to Fuquay-Varina permanently in 1996.

It was then that he became involved in community activities and, eventually, in town government. He moved onto the board of commissioners after a major reshuffling of seats on the commission and in the mayor’s chair about 10 years ago.

When John Ellis resigned as mayor to become town manager, then-commissioner Gene Truelove was chosen to replace him, telling the board at the time, he would take the position to complete Ellis’s term but would not seek reelection. John Byrne was appointed to fill Truelove’s empty board seat. Byrne announced that he did plan to run for mayor when elections came around again.

Byrne got elected mayor and so abandoned his board seat that still had two years before it would be open to be filled by election in the normal schedule. In the meantime it was determined candidates could run to fill the seat for two years, rather than the usual four. Wells did that, won and was subsequently reelected twice for full four-year terms. He was half-way through his current term at the time of his death.