From Ayden
Jeff and I are 10 years apart on age. January 1st, 1995 and December 31st, 2004. One particular birthday is one I can’t forget because it was a milestone in my life that Jeff shared with me.
I was gifted by my parents my car, and we were all together as a family. Jeff came with me for my very first drive in my very first car. We got in and he told me what to do from putting the key into the ignition to fumbling around with the AC.
I’ve always thought Jeff was a jack-of-all trades, from piano to baking, but he also had patience. He was very caring and even in his silence he showed how much he cared for everyone in his life.
Jeffrey David Espinoza has always and will always be my role model.
From Lynie…
I have so many memories that I can pick out from our childhood and I’ve racked my brain. From the first time, Lonie and I taught him how to make us Jager bombs when he was like 14 years old to the time he taught me and Lonie (of course I had to drag Lonie into it too) how to ride a motorcycle after I watched a resident evil movie and I didn’t want to die during a zombie apocalypse just because I wouldn’t be able to escape from zombies on a motorcycle. And just like a Jeffrey move he was doing all these tricks talkin about hey try this and this. Yea right Jeffrey! But the most recent one that I really think about a lot and cherish, is when the new movie theater opened in Hastings and we rode up there together and we listened to “Wait a Minute” by Willow Smith and “PrimaDonna Girl” by Marina on repeat and jammed out singing at the top of our lungs the whole ride up there! I just think about how serious or how random or how any situation is, Jeffrey always knew how to make you feel better and how to always make it fun and bring that laughter and smile out of you !
From your number one fan…Storm
I started this day with dread and heaviness in my heart. Feeling a pain that doubles you over.
On this day one year ago, I woke up to a regular day. Never In my craziest of dreams, could I have guessed what was coming. That morning, I was dealing with the day to day at work, but I kept getting phone calls and texts from Lynie. 911 “call me back something happened to Jeff.”
In that moment, I can’t describe to you guys what I felt. I don’t even remember what I said when I called Betsy. I’m pretty sure I was borderline yelling. We left work without knowing where we were going. Then my phone rang and our lives changed forever.
They say seeing is believing, but when it came to THIS, my eyes registered the situation, my brain acknowledged what was happening, yet my heart continued to refuse to accept this reality. We weren’t able to touch him, and as we sat in that hospital room time stopped. I kept staring at him through my tears, looking for movement. Praying for a miracle that never came.
My brother was a flawed man for sure, but each one of those flaws made him Jeff, and I love him immensely, flaws, and all. Every single one of you knows how special he was. His laugh was genuine, his jokes borderline hurtful, but still hilarious. My brother was amazing in his own way.
Each life he touched will eventually move on, the hurt will heal, memories will fade. But not for me Jeff was part of me and until my last breath, I will hold him in my heart.
From me..
A year feels too long and like no time at all. I’m still waiting for him to walk in the door. Waiting for him to call. Waiting for him to pitch in on our family chats. To hear his booming unexpected laughter. Roll my eyes at his witty retorts. I need these things so much more than I need to breathe sometimes.
Seeing everyone, his friends, together makes me so happy & so very sad. He should be here with everyone…
This makes me smile when I think about it; him telling people how we bullied him as kids (we did but that’s beside the point, it built character) and we told him he was adopted because his real parents were eaten by tiger sharks was one of the favorite stories to villainize us but it always made us laugh when he retold it because it was so insane only an idiot little brother would have believed it even for a second. He was so smart and so sibling dumb at the same time. He was the best little brother.
In the stars.
Thank you for this beautiful gift.
Jeffy
