In the wake of the 2025 July floods in Texas, the collision repair industry and the community of Southeast Texas mourn a truly great man and pillar of the community. Collision repair instructor Jeff Wilson, along with his wife Amber and their son Shiloh, tragically lost their lives in the Kerr Country flood.
Jeff dedicated 30 years of his life to teaching collision repair students at Humble High School and Kingwood Park High School. He was not only a colleague to those within the industry; he was also a good friend to many, including those on the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) team. Jeff was an outspoken advocate of collision education and an avid supporter of the Foundation’s work to aid collision schools and students. In the wake of the industry’s tragic loss, CREF has established two ways to honor Wilson’s memory; the Jeff Wilson Award for Selfless Education and the Jeff Wilson Memorial Fund have both been established in his honor.
Jeff was the model collision repair instructor, who gave his all to his students. After serving as an instructor for Humble High School, he built Kingwood Park’s collision repair program from the ground up, cultivating it into one of the premier high school programs in the country. He held his students to the highest standards and demanded their respect, but he also lived out these principles himself every day. Working with a $3,500 annual materials budget to cover more than 70 students, Jeff proactively sought additional support from CREF and the local community to ensure his program was successful. Colleagues describe his classroom and shop as “tight and tidy,” an allegory for his entire program, which has received local and national media attention and was a CREF Benchmark Award winner in both 2022 and 2023.
Jeff’s passion for collision repair education didn’t stop at his own program. Through his involvement with the Houston I-CAR Committee, he regularly advised and assisted instructors at other programs throughout Texas. He helped teach other instructors how to get connected with CREF and seek the funding they need. Beyond supporting other instructors, Jeff directly supported CREF. He hosted and helped organize CREF High School and College Student Career Fairs in Houston in 2019 and 2022. Furthermore, when a speaker had to back out of CREF’s 2024 SEMA breakfast event, Jeff stepped up to provide an impromptu speech. That moment truly encapsulated Jeff’s willingness to step in and help whenever he was needed.
Away from work, Jeff’s serious persona from the classroom melted away into a top-notch jokester who always had the room laughing. Adan Ibarra, owner of Leading Edge Collision, Houston I-CAR Committee member and a close friend of Jeff Wilson, described Jeff as having the biggest heart, which he expressed through jokes and teasing.
Everyone who knew Jeff says the same thing: he always put himself last. Jeff was a family man first and foremost. He loved his wife and son more than anything in the world and was committed to being there for each and every moment with them. Building on a Wilson family legacy that his father passed down to him, Jeff and his son Shiloh were strong rodeo participants, and Shiloh was a budding star in youth rodeo. Jeff was there for every competition, helping prepare his son while his wife Amber cheered from the seats. The impact the Wilson family left on the local community was clearly evident when family, friends, and community members packed the Humble Civic Center for their service on July 25th.
After his family, Jeff’s students were the next priority in his life. Every year, he selflessly went above and beyond his responsibilities to ensure his students received the best collision repair education possible. His passion for providing students with a great start to their collision careers will be remembered by every life he touched, and his selflessness inspired his friends at CREF and the Houston I-CAR Committee to establish two ways to honor his legacy moving forward.
The Jeff Wilson Award for Selfless Education
A legacy like Jeff’s deserves more than just words. That’s why CREF is working to memorialize Jeff in a permanent fashion. In announcement of the award, CREF Executive Director Brandon Eckenrode states:
“To honor the memory and dedication of Kingwood Park High School Collision Instructor Jeff Wilson, we will be awarding the first annual Jeff Wilson Award for Selfless Education at CREF’s annual Benchmark Awards breakfast at SEMA. In speaking with Jeff’s Houston area industry colleagues, we’ve created this award to recognize a collision instructor who best represents Jeff’s spirit in going above and beyond for their students. Jeff left a lasting mark with his students, the Houston community, and the CREF team, and this award is one small way we can honor his memory while also recognizing a fellow instructor.”
Everyone who receives the award over the coming years will:
- Be deeply passionate about the future of the collision repair industry,
- Always put their students before themselves,
- Go above and beyond expectations in service of their students,
- Serve as a true advocate for their students and the industry, and
- Always be willing to do the right thing.
Does this sound like someone you know? To nominate an instructor, please fill out the nomination form at the following link by Thursday, September 25th: Jeff Wilson Award Nomination Form
The Jeff Wilson Memorial Fund
In recognition of the support Jeff provided his fellow collision repair instructors in Texas and throughout the country, Adan Ibarra and the rest of Houston I-CAR Committee are spearheading the creation of the Jeff Wilson Memorial Fund at CREF. This fund will support instructors like Jeff who have all the talent and all the passion to build incredible collision repair education programs but lack the necessary funding from their schools. If you would like to help the Houston I-CAR Committee and CREF continue Jeff’s legacy of service by supporting the Jeff Wilson Memorial Fund, you can do so by clicking here to donate now.