Grover Addison “Buddy” Jeffcoat III, CO, passed away on January 1 in Prosperity, South Carolina. He was 61.
Jeffcoat, a U.S. Army veteran, served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, during the Vietnam War. He completed his orthotics education at New York University, New York, and Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. He owned Savannah Orthotics and Prosthetics, Georgia, and was the founding president of the Georgia Society of Orthotists and Prosthetists, according to an obituary in the Savannah Morning News. Jeffcoat was instrumental in improving national certification standards in orthotics and was a national examiner for the profession. He is also credited, by several sources, with making the breakaway KAFOs worn in the movie Forrest Gump.
“Buddy lived up to his name,” wrote Michael Burton in an online condolence. “He was a friend and buddy to everyone who knew him. He was passionate about the causes he believed in and always greeted everyone with that big smile. Whether he was making braces for Forrest Gump, lobbying Congress, or spending time with his family and friends, Buddy was committed to giving his very best.”
Jeffcoat is survived by his wife of 42 years, Debra James Jeffcoat; his father, Grover A. Jeffcoat Jr. and stepmother, Asta Jeffcoat; a daughter and son, Melissa and Blair; two sisters; three brothers; and three grandchildren.
