John "Trey" Briggs Van Velzer III

John Briggs Van Velzer III, a Ford master technician and keeper of lost souls, died July 25 in Fairfield, Iowa. He was 37.

Following a life that contained within it the joys and vicissitudes of lives innumerable, Van Velzer died following a struggle with substance use disorder. Van Velzer's aunt bestowed him the name "Trey" upon his birth in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1985, and thus he was known to family and friends.

Trey had a knack for fixing things. In youth, he built and rebuilt bicycles and remote control cars. His aptitude grew into a lifelong career that would lead him to become a Ford master technician. Throughout his life, he was often recognized as the best mechanic in his shop.

This gift also extended to his relationships. Trey's own tribulations fostered within him an understanding and compassion that he shared with others who have walked similar paths. Upon his passing, dozens of friends remarked on Trey's ability to make outsiders feel welcome, to make strangers feel at home, and to ease the suffering of others. At least one person has credited Trey with saving his life.

Trey was not one for self-preservation, rather he sought to wring the juice from every piece of citrus life flung his way. And with this belief in mind, Trey drove fast, drank plenty, and listened to music at top volume. He loved concerts and parties and most importantly, sharing in deep conversation. He shared these passions with everyone he met, particularly his enthusiasm for music, food and cars.

Trey spread love others even as he struggled to love himself. As a teenager, Trey watched his first love die from complications involving substance use. In the years that followed, Trey overcame his own addiction to heroin. It was a profound battle that left an indelible mark on him, making him a stronger more compassionate person at the same time it robbed him of peace, satisfaction and self-love.

Trey managed to pacify this disease for a long time, but under the compounded stresses of these last few years, his mental health suffered, and Trey sought refuge where he could.

He spent his last months living with family on a bucolic farm in Iowa surrounded by ducks, chickens, turkeys, dogs, children, fields, half-fixed cars, bicycles and his own well-tended plants.

The last few weeks, Trey cared for a new dog, got a new tattoo and watered his plant collection.

He was about to start a new job. He was fighting hard against his addiction. Trey made a bad decision, and it's one he made while he wasn't in his right mind, and his family doesn't believe he would have made sober.

Trey went to the farm in Iowa searching for peace of mind and he found it. He died as he lived, in a way best summarized by his favorite author Hunter S. Thompson:

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"

Trey is survived by his mother Deborah Van Velzer Dick, father John Briggs Van Velzer Jr., stepmother Noreen Van Velzer, brother Ryan James Van Velzer, Aunts Jill Matten, Debra and Jana Lovitt, Uncles Jim and Bob Lovitt and several cousins.

Trey's ashes will be scattered in places he loved and used to nourish a tree in his honor. There will not be a service in Iowa.