Born in Durango, Colorado, in 1983 to Michael and Janet Kuss, Jeff Kuss was the older of two sons and dreamed from childhood of becoming a pilot. He began flying lessons before he could drive and earned his pilot’s license at age 17. After graduating from Fort Lewis College in 2006 with a degree in Economics, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and reported to Pensacola, Florida, for aviation indoctrination in July 2007. He earned his wings of gold in 2009, was promoted to Captain in January 2011, and graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as Topgun, in 2012. During his military career, he accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and 175 carrier landings, served in Afghanistan, and received the Strike Flight Air Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He joined the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron in September 2014 and flew as Opposing Solo for the 2016 team. He especially enjoyed meeting young airshow fans, remembering the impact that meeting pilots had made on him when he was young. On June 2, 2016, at age 32, he was killed in an in-flight accident while flying as Blue Angel #6 in practice for the Great Tennessee Airshow. He was survived by his wife, Christina, children Calvin and Sloane, parents Janet and Michael, and brother Eric.