My Eulogy for Jay

Jarrod Austin Smith

Jay
My Jaybird
J-Mixx, the Urban Sound Surgeon
Husband
Partner
Friend
Lover
Son
Brother
Dad
Grandpa
Uncle
Nephew
Cousin
He wore many titles and names.
He was many things to so many different people. He was the most people-person I knew, which is the exact opposite of me. God only knows how we worked together, but we did. What I lacked, he had. What he lacked, I had. We complemented each other.

He was my rock,
My love,
My heart,
My soul,
My Jaybird.
He was my everything.

He was silly, stubborn, loving, stubborn, crazy, stubborn, serious, stubborn, loyal... did I mention stubborn? He got a double dose of stubbornness... have you met his parents? Both the Browns and the Smiths are some stubborn, strong people. And he was so strong in love and in spirit. He needed those strengths, because he was not strong in body. Diabetes is a beast, and it slowly ate away at him for 43 years. It took his vision, his kidneys, and his foot, but it could not take his love, spirit, and faith in God. His love, spirit, and faith in God carried him through life and kept him going through the ups and the downs. He loved me with a fierceness that was unconditional and timeless. I will carry that love with me forever.

I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, who also left this physical world too early. "A man is not dead while his name is still spoken." I will say your name, Jay, until the day I die, as I carry you in my heart, my mind, and my soul. Love you forever, my Jaybird.