Jeff Humphrey Provides Spiritual Support Beyond Religion to Island County Responders

Island County deputies and North Whidbey Fire and Rescue crews rely on volunteer Senior Chaplain Jeff Humphrey for emotional and spiritual support beyond formal religion. Humphrey, who moved from Idaho to Whidbey Island with his wife Dawn in 2012 and helped start Humphrey Signs, says, “I fully intended to pastor again. But we started a business (Humphrey Signs), and I realized I could still serve the community that way. Then, this chaplain opportunity just lit me on fire.”

Humphrey spent 25 years as a full‑time pastor before stepping back from parish ministry. The Whidbey News‑Times columnist William Walker recounts that Humphrey “won’t use the words ‘burned out’ - he needed to regroup,” and frames the shift as a renewal rooted in the pastoral impulse. Walker wrote, “If it’s true that grief shared is halved, and joy shared is doubled, then pastors are often the catalyst that makes that formula work,” and added, “It takes a special kind of person. For many, even if it’s their true calling, it’ll wear them right out.”

Island County Sheriff Rick Felici described Humphrey’s work as a practical resource for deputies facing traumatic calls and personal crises. “He does great work with our deputies, and it’s not all about religion, he’s just someone whose ear you can bend,” Felici said, noting that chaplains provide consoling after tragedies in ways deputies are not trained for. “They have done a ton of good consoling people who have had tragedies,” Felici added, emphasizing the emotional labor chaplains provide on scene and afterward.

Felici credited Humphrey with expanding the volunteer chaplain corps and with being a first stop for families and officers in crisis. “He’s the little engine that could. He keeps recruiting more volunteer chaplains. And when our deputies have personal issues, like a death in the family, all I have to do is call Jeff to help out. His kindness serves the whole community, not just first responders,” Felici said.

William Walker profiled Humphrey in his monthly “Take a Breath” column, which Walker says seeks paths to unity on Whidbey Island in polarized times. Walker concluded his portrait by noting Humphrey’s turnaround and community service: “That happened to Jeff Humphrey. He regrouped, reenergized and now he serves all of us here on Whidbey. Which puts our island in a truly sweet spot.”

Humphrey’s volunteer roles with the Island County Sheriff’s Office and North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, together with his local business Humphrey Signs and his 25 years of pastoral experience, position him as a familiar presence for first responders and families across the island.