Jeffrey George Tantzen

Jeffrey George Tantzen of Hayden, Idaho passed away on October 26th, 2024 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at the age of 59. Jeff was born September 20th, 1965 in Port Jefferson, New York to George Tantzen and Marie Tantzen (Thuilot). Jeff was the youngest of 6 siblings. The family moved to southern California when Jeff was very young. He grew up riding dirt bikes and loved camping with his dad. Jeff attended high school in Placentia, CA and went on to get his commercial drivers license. Jeff worked as a commercial truck driver for many years and was well known for his impressive driving skills. In his mid 30’s, Jeff moved to Shingletown, CA. He loved living in the mountains and spending time outdoors. Here he met Jennifer and they were married on January 1st, 2005. Together they owned Tantzen Trucking for several years and later went on to start their business Good Dog Bed Bug Detection. In 2020 Jeff’s decade-long dream of moving to north Idaho came true. He loved living here and boating or fishing on Hayden Lake any chance he had. In 2021 Jeff began working for the Coeur d’Alene School District as a substitute bus driver. He absolutely loved it, especially the sense of camaraderie and many friends he made. Jeff is survived by his wife Jennifer Tantzen: daughters, Megan Smith (Tantzen) and Tino Smith, Samantha Tantzen and Dixie Tantzen: grandchildren, George, Catalina and Aiden (Megan and Tino) and Zayn and Sebastian (Samantha): siblings, Dianne Daniels (Tantzen), George Tantzen and Lou Tantzen, Claudia Miner (Tantzen), Gail Balandran (Tantzen) and Jackie DeBarro (Tantzen) and Matt DeBarro. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, George Tantzen and Marie Tantzen (Thuilot). Jeff will be deeply missed by his family and friends.