Dewey Beach Mayor TJ Redefer succumbs to pancreatic cancer

Dewey Beach Mayor TJ Redefer passed away April 7 as result of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Redefer was first elected commissioner in 2017, when fellow commissioners also unanimously named him to a one-year term as mayor, a position he was named to every year since. Redefer was reelected to another two-year position as commissioner in 2019.

Dave Vaughn, Redefer’s uncle, was one of the town’s original council members after Dewey incorporated in 1981. In 1986, Redefer opened Rehoboth Bay Realty Company with his father; his son later joined in the business.

Redefer was an early enthusiast of drone capabilities, and is well known in the Cape Region for his aerial photos and videos of the beach area he loved.