The “tundra,” as the two 1985 Spartan alumni recall, was a barren open field on the south end of MSU’s campus. That Saturday morning, Jeff Loomis and Kerbyson saw the carefree fans take over the grassland and immediately became hooked. 

“We'd never heard of tailgating; we didn’t know anything about it,” Jeff Loomis said. “Bob opened up the blinds, and as far as I could see, everyone was out there. We thought that was the greatest thing. Neither of us has ever forgotten that.”

In 2026, their love for MSU continues to bring them back to campus for football tailgates as Jeff Loomis navigates a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. 

Jeff Loomis and Kerbyson have been best friends since they met in kindergarten in Cass City, MI — a two hour drive to East Lansing from the thumb. The two roomed together at MSU and have now held season tickets on the fifty-yard line for the past eight years.

“It means the world what these guys are doing for me,” Jeff Loomis told the State News over the phone. Jeff and Deanna Loomis, his wife, sat on FaceTime with Kerbyson, recalling stories of when MSU felt like more than a school or a team to root for.

At times, Kerbyson and Deanna Loomis pitch in for Jeff Loomis, as he struggles to talk and can only manage short conversations. 

Jeff Loomis was on a business trip in 2017 to Brazil when tremors in his arm became apparent. He called Deanna Loomis soon after, saying “I think I have Parkinson’s.”

With the diagnosis at 55, Jeff Loomis didn’t know what his future would hold. Years went by, and he could only watch as his strength and energy slowly slipped away. Golf is one of Jeff Loomis’ favorite leisure activities — the serene nature always brought him joy — but where he used to excel on the links, he now struggles more with less energy. The number on the scorecard doesn’t mean much to him anymore, being outside with those he loves is what brings him back.

Jeff Loomis underwent deep brain stimulation surgery to help offset the physical side effects in 2023. Surgeons drilled holes into his skull, sending electrical signals to deep parts of the brain, while he lay awake.

The trials have been demanding, but few things have kept Jeff Loomis' spirit alive more than his faith, his friends and his love for MSU athletics. 

“It didn't matter what the sport was: basketball, football or hockey; we were all in,” Kerbyson said. “We were sports-inclined in the first place from high school, and it was an easy thing for us to fall in love with. That's where you get these lifelong friendships.”

It's destiny that Jeff Loomis and Kerbyson ended up as close as they have. In grade school, they adorned the Spartan head, knowing they would be able to call campus home in the future. The camaraderie between MSU fans is what Jeff Loomis admires most about the community; greetings between Spartans have always been special.

“We'd be walking down a sidewalk somewhere and he's dressed in his MSU clothing, and another fan would walk by and say ‘Go green!’ while Jeff returned, ‘Go white!’” Kerbyson said. “I remember looking at Jeff like, 'What?' And he's like, ‘That's what you do!’”

Last fall, Jeff Loomis, Kerbyson and hometown pals Kirk Wischmeyer and Kevin Shaw gathered for what was supposed to be a normal tailgate before a normal MSU football game. Instead, the decades-long friends indulged in a lengthy conversation with MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo. 

“This wasn't a scheduled thing on a Tuesday in his office where he gave you two minutes,” Kerbyson said. “This was on a football Saturday, and I was lucky enough to be able to coordinate getting our paths across with him in advance.” 

Kerbyson knew a conversation with the famed basketball coach would be the perfect thing for his ailing pal.

Izzo, who is less than 10 years older than Jeff Loomis, talked about how much the school’s campus has changed over almost 45 years and the coming basketball season — all with no rush to move on, which Jeff Loomis took to heart. 

“We were expecting 30 seconds; he gave us a dissertation,” Kerbyson recalled. “It was cool that he took the time to not only do that, but to feel no rush when you're doing that sort of thing.”

It wasn’t the first time Jeff Loomis met Izzo. After his surgery in 2017, Jeff and Deanna Loomis started a charity gala through the Michael J. Fox Foundation, where all proceeds go directly to Parkinson’s research. In their first year, Izzo turned up in support, donating a signed basketball to an auction. Jeff Loomis’ friends then pitched in for the $650 ball that still brings fond memories for Loomis’ family. 

Now, Jeff Loomis and his family are raising money for a mobility van to better assist him on the day to day. The cost of a wheelchair accessible vehicle can range from $60,000 to over $100,000. 

“Walking is incredibly difficult to do,” Jeff Loomis said. “We used to take a lot of drives and go up north to take a day to go walk around. I can't do anything like that without a power wheelchair now and the transportation for it.”

Hoping for $35,000, Jeff Loomis’ circle is matching all donations up to their goal. 

“As you grow up, you get through high school, and your paths kind of separate,” Kerbyson said. “What normally happens is you just kind of lose track of people. We all had a lot of friends, but we four just stuck together. In 61 years, there isn't a week that goes by, and sometimes there's multiple times a day where we're texting, calling or seeing each other.”

At the heart of Jeff Loomis’ fight is faith and belief in God. Loomis has long grown up with Christ at his side, but no moment in his life has brought him closer than this. 

“My faith has carried me through this. It's been difficult, and for me, it seems that the Parkinson's disease is progressing a little bit faster than what is normal,” Jeff Loomis said. “But I don't put my faith in my physical life here. My faith is in my spiritual savior, Lord Jesus Christ, and that's where I draw my strength from now.” 

As the Loomis family continually searches for a cure, they miss the simple pleasures of life: walking along a pier, climbing the steps of Spartan Stadium and golfing. Jeff and Deanna Loomis shared in saying, “Don’t take it for granted.”