Jake Schloss- The Dash Reflections

We are all here to remember and celebrate the dash…………
in the life of Jacob or Jake as we knew him. 
Some of you may say this is unlike any service
you’ve ever attend, your right, this a special tribute 
for a unique young man. 

As a little child in Sunday school , Jake was very quiet; 
yes I know it’s hard for many of you who know him now
to believe it. He was involved in church from the time he
was a little child, I had the privilege of teaching him both 
as a child and in his teen years.

Jake was into sports from an early age. Baseball, tag football: 
he loved football, and was an avid football player in high school , 
whether it was on the field or in his life.

Tyler tells how sports was a big enjoyment for the both of them, 
especially the Dallas Cowboys! As a child he was very competitive, especially with his lil bro Tyler, ready to prove he could outlast him 
and if you were to ride in a car with Jake. He always called 
shot-gun first.

Jake had style: his hair had to be just right, as a child he had
 the signature “Spiky hairdo” standing straight up with lots of 
gel and then we lived through the color changes, from the 
blonde to the “I’ll never forget” orange hair to white and then
back to brown, in recent years he chose the longer hair style 
without the spike and color, until last week
 he cut it off to please his mom.

Jake was popular among his friends, Jake brought many
 of his friends to our youth group, some of you here today, 
and then he would take them home, Jake’s house was the
coolest place to hang out, on any given day and probably 
the night, Brenda would always have a house full of kids.

One of Jake’s friends, Brandon told me a story of how
he and Jake and another
friend took off to the current river they ended up stranded
in Wickliffe. Jake called his mom asked her to come and 
pick them up. He told how Jake never worried, his confidence
and fearlessness made you feel safe and secure, 
no matter what the situation.

Jake was not afraid to tell you how he felt, or show you
his love by a hug and telling you how much he loved you. 

Jake shared a bond and was close to his cousins. 
Rae Lynn or “Sissy” as he called her, had a special bond, 
she was like a sister to him. 
Mandy was very close to Jake, she provided a 
place of refuge whenever he need to get away.

Jake was a caring and giving person, he cared so much
about his brother Chad he introduced him to his wife
 and he even let Chad give him his first tattoo.

NOW That’s LOVE

The bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that the Lord seeth
not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outer appearance, 
but the Lord looketh on the heart.
When you looked at Jake, you may have seen longer hair
and tattoos, but God looked at Jake’s heart.

Jake had a big heart, he was very tender hearted, 
I have had many hearts to hearts with Jake 
over the years as he was growing up talking
about God and how important it was to have 
relationship with him, his grandma told me three
weeks ago he came to visit she said he prayed
with her and shared some of what he had on his heart. 

He wrote on his my space web page that his Heroes were:
Jesus, my mother more than anything in this world,
my brothers and Jesus

He was always giving, even as a child he gave
his grandma Evie a card, he had
drawn a picture of the Teenage Ninja Turtles 
on the front and on the inside he wrote 
Grandma I love you, Jacob, that’s just how Jake was.

Grandma Eva said she can remember Jacob’s 
Pee-Wee Herman dance and playing
with his trucks out side the back door.

Recently when his grandpa Jack was in the hospital
and nursing home, he made it a point to come
and visit him, whatever grandpa wanted to eat, 
Jake would go and get it for him.

Denice remembers the time on Mother’s Day
 when she was pregnant with Drake.
Jake gave his mom Brenda a rose, 
and then he came over to Denice, 
gave her a rose and told her how much
he loved her and how proud he was of her
and that he knew she was going to be a 
wonderful mom……………..
I believe he knew this for sure,
being the older sister; and like a second mom, 
she had been taking care of him and his brothers 
for years.

Jake had a sense of humor, in many of the
pictures you see of him displayed today
you will find him very expressively making a face, 
striking a pose for the camera,
he enjoyed performing, even if it was just
 an audience of one, driving in the car.

Many people would say 
“NO one could light up a room like Jake”

Chad noted there was a favorite guitar
 in his house Jake loved to play, 
it was always in his hands, 
anytime the band practiced, 
he loved his band mates: 
Chad, Tyler and Jeff. 

I wasn’t surprised to hear this -
Jake had talent with singing and performing
even at a young age. After dinner the 
last evening Jake spent with Chad, 
he walked over and picked up the guitar, 
played it and banged his head as he did
so many times and he said in a way
 that only Jake could say 
“Man, why don’t you let me
take this guitar home with me!
” Chad replies “How About NO………….
why don’t you put it back, now that you
got your fingerprints all over it.” 

Well today Jake get’s his wish; Chad is sending his 
favorite guitar home with him. Uncle Jake or YaYa 
as baby Kynzee refers to him loved all his kids.

Drake, Addison, William, Anna, Sydney, Kynzee, 
Kayleb, and Dane Jacob named after his uncle Jake.

Through each birth of a new niece or nephew they 
brought him great joy.

Jake’s Dad Mike shared a few words about him:

Jake was a loving son, he always called me often; 
he never failed to say he loved me before he hung up, 
there was always hugs instead of handshakes, 
with Jake that’s just the way he was. I know now he
 is not fighting his demons anymore, he is at
peace with God, I love you son now and forever 
in heaven.
Dad

Jake’s Mom Brenda tells how much Jake loved his family, 
family was important to him and he enjoyed spending
 time with his family, Jake was passionate about
Sunday Dinners at Mom’s house. No matter what 
they had going on through the week, all the kids 
would be at mom’s for Sunday dinner, this is 
something Jake insisted on. This helped maintain
the closeness that you see today.

Jake,
We will always have our Sunday dinners, 
and we will always be this close,
you will be with us in our hearts, 
our thoughts and in our memories
of all the good times we shared.
I love you,
MOM

What matters most is “The Dash” 
Jake’s dash was short, a brief 23 years, 
but in that 23 yrs. his dash has touched 
everyone in this room. He was a son, 
a grandson, a brother, a bother-in-law, 
a nephew, an uncle, a cousin, and a friend. 

Many of you today in this room could tell 
of personal experiences and how Jake’s “dash”
affected you, I encourage you to do that today 
and in the next coming weeks and through out
 the years, please share these experiences with
 the family. They need to hear how Jake’s “dash” 
touched your life.

Brenda, Mike, Denice & Kevin, Chad & Kayla, 
Tyler & Kelly, Brandon and to all Jake’s family 
and friends. 
Jacob is at peace, he has no more worries to face, 
his mind is at ease, think about how much 
you loved him and know that God loved him
even more. In these next few minutes, days, 
weeks and months you will find a peace from 
God that passes all understanding and he will 
keep your hearts and minds, look to him for strength.


Final Words from the Family by 
Jake’s Grandma Evie Hanson

We appreciate those of you family, 
friends and all who came to today, many
of you have traveled many miles and 
missed time off of work for this
celebration of Jake’s life. Thank You 
for the food, the cards, the
beautiful flower arrangements. 
He was a very special person to all of us
and we loved him from the bottom of our hearts.