Dave Barry has great appreciation for Jeff's cartooning talents. Barry explained, "He could see what was funny, and he could draw it so that you could see it, too. I doubt there has ever been a cartoonist who combined so much artistic talent (he was also a skilled painter and sculptor) with such a wonderful sense of humour." *(1) Similar praise is echoed lavishly by many of MacNelly,s peers.
Along with Shoe's inspiration from a real person, Jeff found pieces of his own personality showing up in the character of "Perfessor" Cosmo Fishhawk. The cartoonist's desk is always piled high with papers and clutter, similar to the workspace of Fishhawk. (Except, Jeff's desk isn't perched on a large tree branch, of course.) Jeff made use of his wife's traits to create the sharp-witted restauranteur, Roz.
The 1959 DeSoto car that is regularly featured in the comic strip is a depiction of Jeff's car at home. The real one may have had as many troubles as its cartoon nemesis.
Jeff and his wife, Susie, made their home on a farm in Rappahannock County, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He worked mostly at night on his cartoons, leaving his days free to work on his barn or his DeSoto. Of his beloved farm, he said, "We leave here only for NCS events."
The MacNellys had three sons, Danny, Matt and Jeffrey Jr. Jeffrey Jr. followed his dad's footsteps into political cartooning. A tragic rock-climbing accident in Aspen, Colorado claimed Jeffrey Jr.'s life in 1996, at age 24.
Jeff MacNelly became sick in the late ‘90s. He began outpatient treatment for lymphoma in January of 2000. Jeff cut back on his cartooning efforts, drawing only Shoe and a few other cartoons. He was in the process of grooming his long-time assistant, Chris Cassatt, to take over more of his artistic duties. Sadly, Jeff MacNelly died on June 8, 2000 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He was 52 years old.
Admired by fans and colleagues, known for his genuine spirit and uncomparable talent, Jeff MacNelly is sorely missed. He will be considered an important inspiration to cartoonists for many years to come. His political cartoons are striking, with shrewd observations and insightful comment; his comic strip is pure fun.
