Saturday, May 27, 2023
I have two memories that stick out the most about Jackie.
First, was when she invited my wife over for dinner with her and some friends after we got to Germany and I went straight into the field. She never waited for people to come to her she always reached out and went to them, that was the kind of caring and awesome person that she was.
2nd was when Taylor told me that she wanted to join me, Anthony Byers, and another friend of ours and do the Beaver Creek Tough Mudder with us. I said “hell yea” and that was it, she was in!
When race day came, she showed up smiling ear-to-ear ready to race with determination in her eyes that said quitting wasn’t an option.
Fast forward to the third event, the Polar Plunge, and she’s up first. She jumps in and practically freezes right there where she landed, but she overcame the frigid shock and pushed forward. I cannonball in next and follow behind her. I meet her at the exit and she can’t pull herself up so I yell at her to “get up the ladder” and push her up and out.
Fast forward to one of the last obstacles of the race, a modified zip line thingy that goes over some muddy water, and she ‘eats it’ hard almost immediately after swinging out, face first into the muddy water, but she doesn’t quit—that’s who she was, a fighter against all odds! She recovers and we’re off.
Fast forward to the last mile or so and she’s hurting. Way behind, I turn around to see where she’s at and she’s looking like she wants to throw in the towel, she’s looking rough! She starts saying that “that’s it” and to “go on without her… etc. Now, I’m a really nice guy, but I too don’t don’t have quitting in my vocab and I definitely will never leave a teammate behind or let them quit, and sometimes you just gotta yell at someone to push them through their funk. So, I start screaming at her “Let’s go, to push through, to man up, to catch up,” … etc.
Well, turns out she just needed a good screaming because she dug deep and rocked the last mile and finished her Tough Mudder like the BAMF that she is.
That’s the Jackie that everyone knew, the hard charging, no quitting, goal-oriented, task-accomplishing rockstar that we all knew and loved.
May you rest in peace my friend and enjoy your long walks with Piddles.
