**For You Jess**
(This was the Eulogy at her funeral. The text in bold is a poem, broken up by memories)
You meant so much to all of us
You were special and that's no lie
You brightened up the darkest day
And the cloudiest sky
I remember Jess always wearing a different hat, or running into the room, so proud, or her new knee high boots, with the fur of course. And that summer she dyed her hair platinum blonde in hopes of looking like Kendra from Playboy’s Girls Next Door. You could always see her coming down the street with her flashy orange car and loud music that got her pulled over way to many times. Saturday nights you could always count on seeing Jess’ smiling face working behind the bar at JD’s; we always had a good time there.
She was always up for a couple margaritas at TGI Fridays; she even managed to collect all the glasses. She’s probably the only girl anyone knows with a passion John Deer, not to mention her unbelievable skills in running the tractors and competing in annual tractor pulls. Between wrestling with her two brothers, shopping with her mom, fishing with her dad, and playing pretty much any sport, Jess was a very active girl and one tough cookie.
Your smile alone warmed hearts
Your laugh was like music to hear
I would give absolutely anything
To have you well and standing near
You could always count on Jess for those early morning phone calls on her way to work, just to sing a song she heard on the radio, or to say she was bored and stuck in traffic. Even on the worst days you could call her and she would somehow make you laugh and put a smile on your face. She had the most unique and memorable laugh that could brighten up anyone’s day.
Not a second passes
When you're not on our minds
Your love we will never forget
The hurt will ease in time
Whether she was riding on her tractor, singing and dancing, going to cheer on the Red Sox, Celtics, or tail gating at the Patriots games, she always made the most of life. No matter where she went she always made a friend, or left an impact on some ones life. Everyday she touched so many lives, whether it be her friends she passed on the campus at
Many tears I have seen and cried
They have all poured out like rain
I know that you are happy now
And no longer in any pain.
If Jess were here I know she would like to see the smiling faces of all her friends and family and hear the laughter when reminiscing of the good times she shared with all of you. Well, Jess, I know you are looking down on us today, and I am sure that we can all agree that you have touched all of us in many different ways. For that, we thank you, and we’ll always love and miss you more than anyone can put in words. Goodbye for now.
**Thoughts From Jess' Family**
(read by Aunt Cindy at Jess' funeral)
Throughout her life, Jess was an angel in the lives of her friends, family, and acquaintances. She brought us such joy, happiness and love. Every time we saw her, without fail, she brightened up our world with her beautiful smile and that infectious laugh.
She truly touched everyone. It didn't matter if you knew Jess for five minutes or for a lifetime, you couldn’t help but fall in love with her. I guess this was just her nature. The lucky ones became friends. Once you were her friend, you were friends forever. Not once did she ever let you down; always the first one to help a friend in need. This was just one expression of Jess' profound love for people.
Let me tell you about her love of parties. At all the birthdays, it wasn't the birthday boy or girl who was front and center, it was Jess…sometimes to the point that you thought it was her party. But no one minded. No matter if it was your 1st 40th, 50th birthday party, with Jess it was OK because she would just give you a smile that melted your heart.
Never short of words, she could talk to anyone about anything. Or, if no one was available, she would have a conversation with herself, including questions and answers. Jess was genuinely interested in what you discussed with her. This all can be attested to by the number of minutes used and text messages sent on her cell phone. She was nominated by Sprint for the “Hall of Fame for Minutes Used in One Billing Period”. One family discussion was if this was even possible.
Jess loved the holidays. Christmas was one of her favorites. Every Christmas morning she was the first one awake; the one jumping into bed with her parents to wake them up to open presents. It wouldn't be entirely truthful to say that she didn't like opening the presents she received, it made her just as happy to watch her family open the gifts that she had given us. This obviously goes without saying that this included Simba, her dog, for whom there was always a gift under the tree.
Family was very important to Jess. Her proudest moments with her father were her tractor pulls and fishing. Ken will never forget her jumping off the John Deere wearing her shirt that says “I make dirt look good”, finishing in the top 3, kicking the farmer boys’ butts, with their wives cheering her on. Nor will he forget seeing Jess catch the largest bass on the pond, weighing in at 8 gigantic pounds. After all of these accomplishments, out came that smile like doing that was nothing. She loved to shop with her Mom and look for deals on her favorite things, HATS, HATS and MORE HATS. And with her brothers, well, Kenny and Nick liked to joke and called her “The Enforcer” because Jess would always take control of any situation. It is safe to say that her brothers may have been a little afraid of her. Jess and her brothers were inseparable and always there for each other, at any time of the day and night. Her brothers truly got lucky because not only did they get a sister but they got a sister that could ride a snowmobile (remember the goose) and dirt bikes with the best of them, many times better than them.
Jess loved to go camping::: boating and campfires. One personal fact about camping with this family is that her Dad snores so badly that he once was banned from 2 floors in a 3 story house and was sent to sleep in Jess’ room. While many of us would have walked back to Massachusetts in the middle of the night, her only comment was, “how did I end up with him?” How many “Mad Lib” books did she go through? How many night time visits from the campground management did she get? How many daughters her age would teach their Parents, Aunts and Uncles games like Thumper, Pong, Flip Cup, Quarters to name a few?
And Jess loved all kinds of sports. She loved playing softball, soccer, cheering competitions. She loved going to Red Sox games and Patriots games. The best was Jess got tickets to see the Celtics win the World Championship.
She also loved blonde jokes. She couldn’t figure them out, but loved them anyways and would always ask if anyone had a new one. And we would always try to think of one, even if we thought we had already told it to her, just to see her smile and hear her laugh. Because truly, what we all will miss the most about Jess is that beautiful smile and that infectious laugh that brightened up every day and every life.
She has touched so many hearts, from family to friends, at work and at school. Throughout her life Jess was an angel in all of our lives; now she is an angel for everyone.