Eric Andrew Jennings

March 12, 1979 – July 5, 2017

Tributes to Eric Andrew Jennings

By Reverend Lee A. Todd

 

I am greatly honored to give a tribute to our nephew Eric.  Eric possessed the virtues described in God’s Holy Word in First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1-8 and 13.  A loving person has concern for others, is patient, kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not interested in only himself, even-tempered, does not hold grudges, is not happy when someone else does wrong, happy when truth wins, never quits, always trusts, always hopes for the best, always keeps going, love lasts forever.  These three things last: faith, hope and love.  But the most important of these is love. We remember Eric’s big smile, his sparkling and caring eyes. His heart was as big as “all outdoors”!  He was a great sports fan, especially the Kentucky Wildcats. I think his blood ran “blue” for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Eric was an active, dedicated and very determined young man. He could do what he set his mind and heart to do.  He was a “winner”.  I remember Eric kicking the football in Granny Bulah’s back yard. I was impressed how well he could kick the football at a very young age. I was not surprised to learn that later, he kicked a winning field goal against a rival high school team.  Eric was a walking encyclopedia on the subject of sports. I believe he could have won thousands of dollars if he was featured on a tv show that had questions on sports.

What impressed me the most about Eric was his genuine love for his son, Jaidon. No dad loved his son more than Eric loved his son. They were as close as father and son could be.  He not only loved his dear son, Jaidon, he also loved his dear mom and his kind step dad, his dear dad, and his wonderful brother, Jeff and Jeff’s beautiful wife, Colleen and his two good looking nephews with all his heart. Now, I’m going to share some precious memories from his loving and dear mother Alyse. I will also share tributes to Eric from three cousins, Debbie, Susan and Danita.

 

Thoughts of Eric from his mother

Eric was kind, sympathetic, compassionate, and caring. He was never critical or judgmental of anyone and accepted everyone just as they were.  He was always pleasant, gentle, kindhearted, and sensitive. He never forgot birthdays or special occasions.  He loved to give and receive hugs.  He had a keen sensitivity to people and their feelings and emotions, and was careful of others’ feelings.  Even recently when he was in poor health, he never complained.  He was quiet and reserved, but was quick to laugh and was witty.  According to Jaidon, his dad loved to make “cheesey” jokes.

Eric loved sports, especially UK football and basketball.  Even as a young child, he would devour the newspaper sports section and remembered all the sports statistics.  When he was in middle and high school, he played just about every sport: basketball, football, wrestling, track. In 10th grade, he kicked a 30-yard field goal to win the football game against the biggest rival team.  He held the dead lift record for Central Hardin high school for several years after he graduated.  He enjoyed golf, waterskiing, and spelunking.

Eric loved his son, Jaidon, more than anything.  He accepted the daunting responsibility of single parenthood with determination, making Jaidon his priority while juggling all other responsibilities.

He was a dependable worker. He enjoyed his co-workers and was well-loved by each of them. He loved to travel, and traveled extensively before Jaidon was born

We thank God for giving us Eric. He touched our hearts by his affection and his love.  His life has changed us, made us better and happier, and through his son Jaidon, his short life will continue to have a profound impact for many generations.

 

Tribute for Eric Jennings by Danita Todd (Eric’s cousin)

I’ve known Eric since the day he was born. He was my baby cousin. We spent many days together at our Granny’s house where he and his brother, Jeff, would come to visit. We lived right next to my granny, so I saw him regularly until he moved away to Kentucky. We spent nearly every holiday and most summers together as kids. I watched as he grew into a fine young man and the world’s best father a child could have.

When I think of Eric as a child, I remember how much he loved playing with his brother, Jeff, and me. He was much younger than Jeff and me, but still he came along for many of our adventures. Thank goodness he wasn’t present for all of them or he may have been taken to heaven much sooner. I remember one day we all went to the park and I was on a swing. I was ramping up as high as you could possibly go. Eric came over to swing with us and stopped right in front of my swing’s path. I went plowing right into the little guy sending him flying out into the field. Needless to say, he had some injuries, multiple stitches, cuts and bruises to name a few. I am sure he has some battle scars left today.

I must share one memory that really illustrates Eric’s fearless nature to attempt some of the stunts his brother and I did. One winter I went to visit him in his home in Cedar Hill, Missouri. We were sledding down a huge hill in a wooded area. He decided he wanted to do it and ended up slamming into a tree. Luckily, he wound up with nothing more than skinned knees and a sheepish grin. Thank goodness he came out of it okay.

When you combine the facts, Eric was a compassionate soul, generous to everyone having little to spare, a real pleasure to be around and so easy to be drawn close to, as many of you here today can attest to. It’s not difficult to understand when you saw him with his son Jaidon that Jaidon was the light of his life.

Eric had a fun-loving side to him and was a prankster at times. I can remember him tricking his brother and me into drinking his special protein powder call “phenyl free”. He got a kick out of watching us practically throw up running to the sink to spit it out. Perhaps it was his way of getting back at us for the many misfortunes he encountered when we were all together.

It may comfort us all a bit to realize that Eric is now reunited with our loved ones who have passed on before us, including his paternal and maternal grandparents.   We know that someday we’ll all be together again when we cross over to the other side. This is only a brief parting in the larger scheme of life.

In closing I have chosen a poem entitled, “The Broken Chain” I believe this poem sums up the great loss we feel without you, Eric, in our lives. The dim light of hope we can treasure as we look into the future.

 

The Broken Chain

We little knew that day, God was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly, in death, we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you. You did not go alone.

For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.

You left us beautiful memories, your love is still our guide.

And although we cannot see you, you are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same.

But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again

(Author: Ron Tranmer)

 

Tribute to Eric by Debbie Todd Fowler (Eric’s cousin)

Eric was a very loving son, brother, cousin, father and friend.  I remember Eric as someone who was always a pleasure to be around. To have lost Eric is heartbreaking.  His life was far too brief.

Eric was a humble man. He had such a positive spirit and made me feel so peaceful in his presence. He was a very devoted father and he set an example for us all to follow. He truly loved his son and family more than his own life.

Throughout his life, he faced a lot of challenges, but never complained. In fact, I felt like a better person after being in his presence. I have very precious memories of the time we spent with Eric and Jeff at Granny’s house. I remember how happy our grandma was to finally meet baby Jaidon for the first time! What precious memories for us to cherish forever!

I know in my heart that Eric would not want us to grieve for too long. Rather, he would want us all to remember the good times we shared with him and watch over his precious son, Jaidon. We will always love you, Eric. We won’t say “goodbye” as we know that we will meet you soon. You will live in our hearts forever.

 

Tribute to Eric Jennings by Susan L. Todd (Eric’s cousin)

Eric was a very special cousin. He was so kind and a very happy person.

We had wonderful times with my mom and dad at Granny Bulah’s home when we were little. We loved Granny’s homemade bread, angel food cake, and wonderful meals. We would laugh, tell jokes, play checkers, and hear stories about our Jennings’ family.

Eric loved wrestling and riding dirt bikes with his brother, Jeff.

We look forward to seeing Eric in Heaven. Until then, Eric will be loved and remembered by all of us, his family and loved ones. We will miss him greatly.

I will always cherish the special times we all had together.