Jeffrey “Jeff” Blake Hannell 57, of Lynchburg, passed away suddenly on Friday, October 15, 2021. He was the devoted and loving husband of Lisa Blackmon Hannell for twenty-five years. Born January 7, 1964 in Staunton, VA, he was the son of Phyllis Hostetter Bruce and the late Richard Lee Bruce. In addition to his father, he was predeceased by his mother-in-law, Grace Blackmon, and a sister-in-law, Dorenda Dixon. Jeff was employed by Nova Tech, for 12 years. He was Program Manager of their Defense Group. His enthusiasm for adventure and excitement led Jeff to join the United States Army after high school. He served most of his tour in Germany where he developed a love for motorcycles and speed. Twenty years later, the war in Iraq drew him back to service, where he served four tours with the United States State Department. As a young man Jeff was a member of the Lynchburg Chapter of the Order of DeMolay. He earned state champion in the Ceremony of Lights ritual competition at the annual Virginia DeMolay Conclave where letter perfect memorization was judged Jeff was a man of many talents, a master craftsman which included woodworking. This led him to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where he earned local popularity and national recognition in a sport fishing magazine for designing and creating custom inlay interior pieces for sportfishing yachts. While living on the Outer Banks, he devoted time to serving his local community fire department. His love of music began in his early years as a member of the E.C. Glass High School marching band playing the tuba as well as the trumpet and the French horn at his church. This led Jeff to teaching himself to play various musical instruments including acoustic and electric guitars, drums and keyboards. He developed a passion for cars and motorcycles which ranked high on Jeff’s list for many years. His softer side showed in his love for animals and especially love for the family cats and dogs. He leaves to grieve his beloved one year old Newfoundland, Moses, and two cats, Loosey and Panda. In addition to his wife, Lisa, Jeff is survived by his mother Phyllis Bruce, and his sister, Teri Hannell. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Beth Surles (Robert), a step-sister, Kelli Aud (Mike), a step-brother Lance Bruce (Tracy), and a niece Morgan Hannell. A celebration of Jeffrey's life will be held 3:00 p.m., Friday, October 22, 2021, in the chapel of Heritage Funeral Service and Crematory, 427 Graves Mill Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502, (434) 239-2405. The family will receive friends at the funeral home immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, Jeff’s family requests that memorials take the form of contributions to any of the following charities: The Blue Ridge Regional Food Bank, P.O. Box 937 Verona VA 24482, The Wounded Warriors Project, 1120 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, or Meals on Wheels for Pets via Meals on Wheels America, P.O. Box 79168 Baltimore, MD 21279.