Jeffrey Emblidge graduated from the University at Buffalo with honors in 2013, was a valued employee of Paychex, enjoyed golfing and was a big fan of the Buffalo Bills and Sabres and the jam band Phish.
He loved his family, and they loved him back.
He had joy in his life.
The fact that he struggled with addiction wasn’t outwardly apparent.
“Some walk through life so that others would never know,” said his father, former longtime local TV newsman Doug Emblidge.
Jeffrey, the youngest of three children born to Emblidge and his wife, Coleen, started using substances in his mid-teens.
“The genesis was anxiety and depression as a kid, a very common pathway,” his dad said. “You’re looking for peace and relief, and substances — not necessarily ones prescribed
by a doctor — become your answer.”
“A lot of kids smoke weed or have a beer at the time," he added. “For some, it’s just part of growing up, and for others it’s a lifelong struggle.”
That was the case for Jeffrey.
Over the years, he went through a number of rehab stays at the insistence of his parents.
But in the summer of 2023, for the first time, “He raised his hand and said, ‘I need help,’” Emblidge said.
Jeffrey entered and successfully completed a 90-day treatment program at an in-patient facility in Utah. From there he went to a step-down program in Asheville, North Carolina, a city known for its strong recovery community.
“He was living down there and still working for Paychex (remotely),” Emblidge said. “And then a few months after he was done with the in-house part of program, he got his own apartment and was doing great.”
But on June 17, 2024, the day after Emblidge flew home from Asheville after a weekend visit, Jeffrey died of an overdose after a long period of sobriety.
“It was fentanyl,” Emblidge said. “I’m sure he didn’t know it was fentanyl. Addicts when they relapse very often go back to level of use they had before, and their bodies can’t handle it.”
Emblidge, 65, who retired from ABC affiliate 13WHAM-TV (Channel 13) in 2022 after 39 years on the air, will share his family’s story of devastating loss at the Sept. 10 Blue and White Luncheon to benefit Catholic Charities Family and Community Services. It will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom, 125 E. Main St. Tickets are $100 on the Catholic Charities website.
The theme of the talk, chosen by Catholic Charities — a nonprofit that provides services to people dealing with addiction, mental illness, poverty and more — is resilience.
“I had been asked a few times to talk about this, but I struggled to find anything I could say early on in the haze of grief that would resonate or be useful to anybody else,” said Emblidge, who now works for Alesco Advisors in Pittsford, said. “But when Catholic Charities called, they said they’d like to do a theme on resilience, and that struck a chord with me. And my heart said, that’s something I could talk about it.”
In addition to his own experiences, in preparing for the event, he has gathered inspiration from “Marty, Life is Short,” a Netflix documentary about the profound personal losses experienced by comedian Martin Short; Stephen Colbert’s interview with Anderson Cooper about loss and grief; and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s memoir “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
Reluctant to focus too much on himself, Emblidge will explore the ways in which people demonstrate resilience, perhaps without even realizing it.
“If we’re grieving while working and just being, we are resilient,” he said. “If you’re dealing with homelessness or addiction or a disease or poverty, if you’re knocking on that door, you too are resilient.”
Emblidge said he is grateful for the support his family has received since Jeffrey’s death, including from strangers who once watched him deliver the evening news.
“And we had 33 years with him,” he said of his son. “It could have been 14. We have lots of memories, and he’s still very much a part of our lives. And he’s at peace.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood primarily covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Former TV anchor to share story of son's death at fundraising luncheon
