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When he was in Boston to visit I went to the backyard to play basketball. I invited him and he said sure. When we started it was just normal shooting around but after a little bit we started throwing alley-oops to eachother just to pass it back. It was a simple but wholesome memory. At the end he said “I am about to break a sweat” except I was already sweaty. We went inside and ate a good meal.
I shared many great memories with Jackson, with some of my favorites including playing both intramural and pickup basketball (his hustle on the court was admirable), sharpening our golf swings on the driving range or course (he was by far the best golfer in our friend group), discussing recent episodes of The Pitt, going out for pizza or Mexican food, watching sports or hanging out on the couch at the Corn Boys crib, going to the UO hockey game, tossing the football around, and meeting his wonderful family at the Corn Boys’ graduation party.
However, I think I can speak for all 6 of us when I say this – my favorite memories came from our weekly trips to BJ’s for pizookies on Tuesday nights. What started out as an impromptu decision at the start of the school year became an integral part of our schedules every week for the rest of the year, where we rarely missed a week. We’d use this time to catch up since our last time seeing each other, recap our IM basketball games, share future plans, and most importantly, laugh a lot.
One thing that remained constant through all of the memories I mentioned was Jackson’s positivity. He was one of the most stand-up people I’ve ever met in my life, and I think the only time I ever saw him even slightly irritated was when our pizookies would take 2 hours to get delivered to our table and we joked about sending an angry email to the general manager. While those long waits seemed annoying at the time, they were truly the best trips because we got to spend more time together. I can’t remember many times when I laughed harder than those nights at BJ’s, and I will always remember those great times and all of the other memories I was lucky enough to share with JB.
Photos from the 2024 University of Oregon vs Oregon State University Civil War game
It is our great privilege to have been a part of Jackson’s life. He was our traveler-always anticipating new experiences and we only lost him once. He was a lucky boy, but we were luckier. Our lives are so enriched by his loving us.
Jackson, what an honor it was watching you grow from a baby into a person with your own distinct laugh, voice, and place in the world. In just 22 short years, you made your love fiercely known and left an everlasting impact on my heart.
The highest compliment my grandmother Josephine (Thorne) Beam could give a person was that they were “nice to old people.” Care for the vulnerable is a virtue that Jackson possessed in spades. When the five cousins would get together I wondered how our youngest son would fit in with the four bigger kids. Would they ignore him? Be annoyed? But Jack made sure that the littlest one was part of the party. It wasn’t a hardship: he got a kick out of having a temporary little brother to play with.
Years later, when he was in college, Jackson came to visit. Hanging out with a group of people in our living room I saw the same dynamic: he left nobody out of the conversation, he asked good questions, and he listened with respect.
The good kid had become a good man.
Dance like no one is dancing, although know your aunt is watching and recording 🙂
The last few pics together
Last term at Oregon!
Fantastic trip up to Canada for the New Year
A corn boys Christmas
Pics from the beginning of our last year together
Spring term junior year
Fall and winter of junior year, including a few pics from our southern Oregon trip
Our very memorable trip to Southern California (including a heinous 28 hour train ride)
Beginning of sophomore year
Summer after freshman year (including my trip to Kearney and Lincoln)
A collection of a few of our “BeReals”
Memories from club table tennis
Just some cute baby pics! Look at that chunkster 🙂
Happy 4th of July 2026!
Surprise 2013 Disneyland visit….with lots and lots of laughs on the Goofy roller coaster ride we took over and over!
So many memories of this wonderful person.
I remember getting the call from Kathy that he had been born and how excited we all were.
When I was just a few months pregnant with my first, Dave and I watched Jackson, who was around 10 months old, for a few hours. I was feeling so confident about how easy parenting would be. However, upon Jon and Kathy leaving the house, he decided to educate us! He was having none of his aunt and uncle’s attempts to humor him, no matter how hard we tried. It was a good, if humbling, lesson 🙂
I remember a sweet toddler, playing with his guys and eating bacon and pancakes.
I remember an active boy, always moving and playing.
I remember a teenager who so clearly loved his family and wasn’t afraid to show it.
I remember a young man excited to explore the world and make his own way.
My favorite memory of Jack is from a few years back. We were on a family vacation in San Diego and he, Cal, Dave, and I went for a walk along the coast. Dave and Cal were walking slightly up ahead of me and Jack. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone in a wheelchair struggling to cross a busy street. A step or two later it clicked that I should help them. So I turned to go back to help, and saw that Jack was already doing so. And that was Jackson. Thoughtful, kind, and loyal. Really just a good egg all-around.
I was so looking forward to knowing him as an adult. I was so proud of him moving to Dallas and starting his next chapter. He faced it bravely and full of the knowledge that while it might be hard at first, he was going to be okay. Knowing that he felt confident and hopeful definitely gives some relief to the pain of his loss.
May 2006 – Beach vibes with some rocking hair!
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