Tributes

Granny

I love and miss my grandson. When you think about describing someone whose presence you’ve taken for granted it’s something…. different.Sometimes we find ourselves in conversations about our children/grands. When I talk to others about my grandsons, I’ve always said I have the best grandsons in the world. Jack, (aka L.J. until he got too old for the nickname), has always been family oriented. His great grandmother always reminds us of when Jack was a little boy he said to her, “Big Mama, family sticks together. Don’t they?”On holidays and whenever family would get together, Jack did his best to be there, sometimes coming straight from work and in his work clothes. As a young man he could have been out with friends as many young men would do, but Jack chose to be with family, and he loved the big meals as well! He was also that big cousin who didn’t mind spending time with the little ones.Jack was an independent young man and a hard worker. He didn’t mind holding two jobs- enabling him to save, get ahead and get the things he wanted. This also put him in a position to quietly help others in need. His parents taught him that honest work is important in life, and Jack was guided by that value.Jack was an all-around good person to all who knew him.

Joseph

I couldn’t honestly sum up in words the type of person my brother was. I know when everyone speaks of someone close to them it should feel that way. So, I will instead tell you all the things I think he did or meant without even knowing it. I think subconsciously he couldn’t help but be kind to others upon meeting them. I have never seen him judge anyone before having a conversation with them at least. He always kept a level head, unless we were on Xbox and things weren’t going quite our way. But I think because deep down he just wanted to win, he wanted to have that moment where you felt unstoppable as we all do. But, in his eyes I saw no more joy than when he saw the people he loved succeeding. He was really creative too, whether it was Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition customizing a car or spending the little money he had to make sure he looked good on the field. Even though he hated letting me borrow his gear when I played. I know it was because he valued his things, but he loved me more. I say all this to say that my brother was a lot of things to a lot of people. A role model, best friend, family member, or just a cool dude you’d meet in passing lol. But the most important thing he ever was, was just a good person at heart. I love you man and I miss you everyday. 

Auntie Ronnie & Kids

L.J. was a cool laid- back kind of guy. I loved his smile. His fashion style was always on point, even on what would be considered bad day. Something I will always remember about LJ is his love for kids! A couple of memories I have is one summer him and his little cousins were outside having a water balloon fight. He was running from the kids, slipped in the grass and the kids bombed him with balloons. He was “winning” until he fell. It was so funny! We all laughed, LJ got back up, sat down for a while then went back for more. 

Another memory I have of LJ and his love for the children is, I would have pool parties for my kids and I would pay LJ and his brother Joe to be my lifeguards. They would play with kids, give them rides on their backs, and most importantly make they did not go under =)  ( LOL) . LJ and Joe would also take the kids swimming at the family reunions with no hesitation. They would stay in the pool all night with them. 

I miss and love you L.J.

Uncle Sean

Remembering L.J., there were a few things that when I start thinking about him brings a smile to my face. First, no matter how old he was and how busy he was, he always made sure he spent quality time with his younger family members and any kids that might be around. You know when you get to be a teenager or young adult most wouldn’t take the time.  I really believe he enjoyed it, just as much as the they did. Second, I really used to look forward to our family meals. In stark contrast to Joe who gets his two plates and goes to town, LJ always took his time putting his plate together, so everything looked just right. Finally, when he sat down, he had to take several pictures of his food. Lol.  He had to be the slowest eater I have ever seen it’s like he savored every bite. I really miss my nephew. I feel so blessed to have been apart of his life.  ​

Kailey

There are so many memories to reflect back on. Jack was my big cousin whom I loved dearly. Even though Jack was older, he never minded spending time with the little kids. He would always come down to the pool with us or even babysat if needed. Jack was always there for me and always made sure I was good. One of the memories that I will always cherish is when I was younger. I loved peanut butter jelly sandwiches. No matter how many times I asked for them, he would sit me up on the counter and make one for me every time. That’s just the type of person Jack was.

The memories me and Jack shared throughout the years were some of the greatest and most fun I’ve had. Jack was the most laid back one in our group, didn’t care to go out, didn’t care to be around a crowd of people, which was great for me because we all know Graham loves to kick it. He gave me so many reasons to sit in the house and just chill and save my money. So, we would always have game nights with friends, in the summer we would invite people to my apartment pool and just grille, drink and hangout. Jack was really a true brother to me, more than a friend, he literally knew all my secrets and I could trust him with my life. A best friend like Jack is hard to find. I hope everyone can have a friend they trust and can depend on the way me and Jack did. He will always be missed and always be loved. The craziest thing is that the first three numbers in my telephone number are “777”, which we all know his nick name was “JackPot”. We connected through so many aspects of life and my phone number was one of them, hahaha. To my brother, I Love You and may you Rest in Peace.

DaJunn

My relationship with Jack is so hard to put into words. I feel as though in life you can have hundreds of acquaintances but there won’t be many people you can actually call a “friend”. But that’s what Jack was to me, A FRIEND. A friend who was always present, always had the best advice, told me about myself even when I didn’t want to hear it, and checked on me pretty much everyday. I’m starting to realize that God brought Jack into my life to teach me how to be a better sister, a better daughter & most importantly a better friend. The last time we hung out was a week before his transition and I had the BEST TIME. He picked me up, we ate good, we laughed, and I vented to him about my relationship issues AS USUAL lol. And he just laughed and told me I was crazy. And I’ll always hold that moment near and dear to my heart.

Sincerely,
Arrielle Rose

Jack wasn’t the ordinary friend that you meet in your life and forget about as you get older. He was the kind of person that you wanted in your life at all times through the good and bad. Even though that wasn’t expected of him. He made sure that he was there through thick and thin offering one of a kind advice and always having the right answers. He brought the best out of people no matter the environment or what he was going through. Being selfless was a speciality of his and in a world full of darkness he was the shining light. I often look up to the sky and just drop tears thinking about your presence but it’s soon followed with a smile thinking of all the best times we had. It’s selfish of me to say I wish you were still here. But I truly do. I miss my brother/friend soo much this isn’t even enough to sum it up. But I am beyond blessed and fortunate to have met you and most importantly your family. I’m expecting a child soon and if it’s fine with my girl and the Barnett family I would like to have his name incorporated in their somehow.

Donte

Thinking back, I met Jack in summer camp. We were not as close then but we both ended up going to college together and that honestly brought us closer. We lived down the hall from each other, so I was always over his house or vice versa. When my friends left me after freshman year, he was pretty much the only friend I had left in college which led me to spending more time with him. I would leave for class, knock on his door, and walk away lol. After a few times of me doing that, he texted me “did you knock on my door” lol. I had nobody else to bother but him. I remember every time I told Jack about my accomplishments his response was always “That’s what’s up, I’m proud of you gang”. Lastly, I’m just happy he introduced me to some cool people who I call my sons (although they are all older than me lol) they know!

​Shakory

As one of Jacks closest friends, we had so many memories from walking home from high school, to winning a state championship, from graduating high school, to randomly staying in the same dorms in college at Akron, from flag football, to bbqs in the summer, from the fun birthday parties he always had. Most recently, the funniest story I have to say was between paint balling on his birthday or our last summer pool party cook out. Paint ball he swore he was a sharp shooter call of duty expert. Me and him were the last two in against the opposite team and we both ran out of bullets early so we hid and start making Instagram videos like we were about to lose World War 3 or something lol. It was so fun in the video we said “If y’all find us just know we fought so hard” then he passed gas then we started laughing so loud that literally 30 seconds later they cornered us. They didn’t even have to shoot because they were so close that we just put our hands up and just laughed. We did all that talking and ran out of ammunition too quick but that was soo fun because we won the next two matches… The bbq was at my old apartment and we all just kept praying that it didn’t rain. We all literally were happy it was hot, so we bought the food for the bbq. The only thing Jack put in the cart was shrimp and some red tropical punch. Since I am allergic, I told him that shrimp would be cooked last and that he was going to starve. Are you sure that’s all you want lol? He was so adamant about the shrimp that he was waiting patiently by the grill for me to get done cooking. I was finally done with all the food and all you hear is Jack yell “Okay time for the grill master to go to work”. He put everything in the aluminum foil, all the seasonings, butter and everything else. He was smiling, checking and dancing the whole time. Literally, five minutes later he checked on the shrimp and they were blacker than me man, it was the funniest thing ever. We cracked on him for the rest of the bbq, definitely one of the most memorable moments for sure. From the first day we met to the last day we spent at the pool it was always positive vibes from just calling to go to Wasabis or just sending Kenn ball Friday, or dinner date to each other every Friday just to let each other know we were okay. From popping up at Scorchers to volleyball in the sand, man things will never be the same. I just wanna say thanks for being a Great Friend that never will ever go unnoticed I LOVE YOU BUM AND OH YEAH GO STEELERS 

​Merv

I didn’t have siblings growing up, but Jack and Joe filled that void for me. We would spend our childhood at each other’s houses for hours playing basketball, football, kickball, and video games. It was always a friendly (or not so friendly ) competition between us, but we always brought out the best in each other. We may not have always remained super close like we were as kids, but whenever we saw each other, it was like nothing had changed. I’m thankful for the time I spent with Jack and for all of the memories we shared together. Thank you for being one of the reasons why my childhood was so enjoyable. You have impacted so many lives and you will be forever missed by so many people.  I love you, Jack!

​Jordan

We all had a special friend in Jack whether you needed to laugh or cry he was going to make sure you take a shot and keep pushing through! To have a friend who checks up on you even when they not at their best is the type of friend he was! We all know he was a gamer and I learned quick that he don’t care if you know how to play or not he was going to play hard every time! We had so many great memories that can last a lifetime , I just can’t wait to meet up again and pick up where left off! My favorite Jack in box 🤎😌.

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~ Mable

​A friend is someone who is loyal, loving, genuine, caring, supportive, someone who is a good listener, someone who can make you laugh although you simply want to cry, someone who even if times are hard for them they put in their best effort to be there for you. All the things mentioned above describe my dear friend Jack (The Goat) to have known him was a blessing and an honor and, although missing him is hard I am happy I get to forever call him my friend, my designated driver (lol) & now my angel.

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Jayla

I’m thankful I was able to experience having someone like Jack in my life as a brother. For as long as I’ve known Jack and Joe, they’ve always been brothers to me. I was lucky enough to get the chance to grow up and grow with them into adulthood.  When I decided to move to Cleveland, Jack definitely helped me get on my feet. This dude not only got me a job where he worked, with some of the coolest people I’ve met, but he also gave me a vehicle to get on the road. Those of which I was greatly appreciative for but even greater, I was able to enjoy life with my brother.

I can’t thank Jack enough for all the things he taught me and how much he looked out for me over the years. The loss hurts… everyday, but I’m thankful I got to spend the time and have the memories to hold on to. So again, thank you Jack… for not only positively impacting so many lives but for also allowing me to have you as a brother. Love you bro.  ~Tre