Jeffrey M. Covieo, 56, of Oak Park, MI, passed away on December 12, 2025, after five years navigating the struggles of metastatic breast cancer. Jeff was a hardworking, talented, and creative photographer, illustrator, cartoonist, and digital artist, whose reliability and integrity impacted all who were lucky enough to be his family, friend, or co-worker. His infectious smile and laugh, sharp wit, exacting eye for color and design, and ability to find so much beauty in the world were all taken from us way too soon.

Jeffrey was born on October 13, 1969, to Jack and Mary Covieo in Bay City, MI, and grew up in Essexville. After graduating from All Saints High School in 1988, he began studying art and design at Delta College in University Center, MI, before completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Center for Creative Studies in 1994. He then began a twenty-five-year career at Midcoast Studio, where he began as a photographer’s assistant, then served as Studio Manager and Digital Artist/Re-toucher through the ever-changing landscape of advertising photography, from long road trips to photograph Harley motorcycles or Sea-Ray boats to building cars in Photoshop from scratch. Jeff also did freelance illustration, publishing 11 books and working on many more over the years. He constantly took photos and created cards and political cartoons to share online. His creativity was boundless and always finding new ways into the world.

In 2011, he met Steven Rydman and began a fourteen-year relationship that breathed new life into him. They were married in October of 2016. Together, they discovered a love for traveling, especially to France; for wine and fine dining; for debating and volunteering for Democratic political causes; and they spent their entire time together designing, decorating, and remodeling their beautiful home in Oak Park, inside and out, where they loved to host family and friends for dinner, drinks, or just good conversation. They also welcomed their feisty, stubborn, but adorable French Bulldog, Hervé, into their home in 2020, whom Jeff loved photographing.

Jeffrey is survived by his husband, Steven Rydman; his parents, Jack and Mary Covieo; his sister, Mary Beth (Robert) Meyer, and his nieces, Gabrielle Meyer and Christina (Robert) Michael; his brother, Stephen Covieo; his mother-in-law, Mary Rydman; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Collin and Jennifer Ross, and his nephews, Elijah and Aidan Ross.

A celebration of life will be held at Marrow in the Market, 2442 Riopelle, Detroit, MI, on Sunday, December 21st, from 3pm-8pm (ceremony at 4p.m.). In lieu of flowers, Steven requests donations be made to the International Rescue Fund, WDET, Residential Hospice, or your local Democratic candidate.  

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