JEFFREY MURRAY RIESEN

Condolences & Memories (6 entries)

• Oh Dearest Jeff, Today is July 5th & what would be your 65th Birthday. I'm so sad I can't send you a card or gift this year or call you.I miss you so very much & I'm still in disbelief that you are no longer here. I just have to trust in the Universe that you are now in bliss, & surrounded by light & love & divine peace. Until we meet again & with much love my Prince, Your Cinderella always, Laurie.🕊️🌹 - Posted by: Laurie Anderson (Friend/Former Girlfriend) on: Jul 05, 2025

• My most heartfelt & deepest sympathy & prayers go out to Jeff's Family. I think of you all daily & I'm so incredibly sorry for your pain & untimely loss of your Brother & Uncle. I share your grief & loss with you. Jeff & I met in 1982 in Winnipeg, during a singing competition I entered, & he was one of the judges. (I was 15 & he was 19 years old.) Our eyes locked up on each other, & though we were very young, we both had butterflies in our stomachs. One of the other judges was a director of Plays, (ACTORS SHOW CASE), & he wanted us to play the roles of Cinderella & the Prince, which we both agreed to. We reunited in the fall to practice our roles, & played our roles for a week at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Jeff than started courting me shortly after to my Mom's approval, & she dearly loved Jeff, as my entire Family did. Jeff eventually moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario for better pay, & our relationship became strained from the distance, but we still remained in contact, no longer dating. We kept running into each other by serendipity when he moved back to Winnipeg, but we had both moved on with new significant others. Further time passed & back in 2021, I was determined to find him & re establish contact, which I did, once again, by serendipity..& he was thrilled to hear from me once again, as I was with him. . We communicated regularly in the last nearly 4 years. He told me he had moved to Vernon, BC where I used to live & planned to move back to be closer to my remaining Family there, & he was excited to see me again, as I him, even mentioning a possibility of getting back together again after 40 years, that I couldn't refuse. I loved him dearly, the most wonderful man I've ever known along with my late Dad. Jeff had a sense of humour, intelligent, devoted, incredibly talented in Radio, & treated me with upmost respect. I still have all the cassette tapes he sent me..I still have his voice..& am so grateful I met this beautiful man. My heart is shattered of his loss. I'll see you down the road one day, my Prince 💓 - Posted by: Laurie Anderson (Former Girlfriend/Eternal Friend.) on: Mar 16, 2025

• I’m very sorry to hear of Jeff’s passing. My condolences to the family. Jeff and I worked together briefly in 2019 at Lester Publications in Winnipeg, where we were account executives. We were both Winnipeggers who had recently returned home after being away for many years. We often laughed about how timeless certain Winnipeg institutions are - like the Salisbury House on Matheson, which looked like it hadn’t changed since it first opened. It felt quintessentially Winnipeg, both comforting and oddly dispiriting in its anachronism. It became something of a running joke between us. Jeff also had a strong attachment to one of our office cats named Louie, endlessly showering it with affection. I remember always encouraging him to get one of his own. His sense of humour stood out, though a lot of it went over my head because he constantly referenced ‘70s and ’80s pop culture, especially music. Still, it was always funny hearing him name-drop those obscure references seemingly entirely unbidden. I suppose that was the necessary corollary of him being a radio DJ. We stayed in touch over the years, and I always enjoyed our conversations. Jeff was funny and easy to talk to. Once again, I’m sorry for your family’s loss. - Posted by: Bilal Rana (Co-worker and Friend) on: Mar 01, 2025

• I met Jeff over 40 years ago when he was dating my little sister. I didn't get to know him well, but from what I saw he was a great guy, and he treated my sister like a princess. They recently re-connected and I was excited at the thought that they might rekindle their relationship after all these years. I am so sad to learn that Jeff died suddenly, just as he was settling into his retirement. My condolences to the family of this dear man. We will miss him. - Posted by: Alison Anderson-Gilmour (Sister's friend) on: Feb 28, 2025

• Allow me to add my condolences to his family and all who loved him. Like so many, I met Jeff in his natural habitat - a radio station. He had an unforgettable on-air presence, with that deep voice, wry wit, clever turns of phrase and perfect timing when it came to hitting the post. We worked together briefly in Winnipeg and shared an apartment in Calgary when he was at CJAY92 in the lead up to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. He owned a music service on the side at the time and we produced mixtapes for the City of Calgary to play at its downtown pubic skating rinks. Off the air, he was a kind and decent guy. I'll miss him. - Posted by: Paul Taylor (Friend and co-worker) on: Feb 01, 2025

• My deepest condolences to your family.  JJ was the life of the party here in Timmins, Ontario! Our listeners loved tuning into his show in the mornings and always came out to see him when he was live on location anywhere. We had many of clients request JJ specifically for special events because he always knew how to draw a crowd.  Full of life and laughter, at work and away from the station, he could put a smile on anyone's face. He will be truly missed. - Posted by: Samantha Genier (Co-worker and friend) on: Jan 30, 2025