Jason’s Journey
Jason’s Journey
Jason was one of a kind. He was independent, a deep thinker, firm in his beliefs, and generous. Jason was also athletic, artistic, and had a great sense of humor. Jason loved to laugh and could find humor in the smallest things. Even from an early age, his mom, Lynda, could see that Jason was going to be his own person and march to the beat of his own drum. He would be fiercely independent, he would rock the boat when necessary, and he would live life on his own terms, with no apologies for being himself.
Inquisitive Nature
Jason’s reflective nature and desire to learn more about a wide variety of topics was evident to those around him, even as a young child. He was eager to learn about the geography of both America and the world, and he could tell you the capital of any state and quickly pinpoint a location on a map. Perhaps his inquisitive way was a result of his family moving multiple times and visiting many sites in our country. As a young man, he once drove by himself to Washington, D.C. on a whim and spent a few joyous days exploring the monuments and museums. As he grew older, his interests expanded into the history of America, and he was the go-to person in the family when questions arose regarding the Founding Fathers or the American Revolution.
Kindhearted Strength
Jason cared deeply about those he loved and was generous with his time and efforts. Whether it was painting the houses of various family members, helping to remodel rooms, or landscaping gardens, he was more than willing to lend a hand and complete the job to perfection. Jason once helped his brother Jeff and his wife, Melissa, completely remodel a full bathroom, demo an outdated basement, tile a new kitchen floor, paint several rooms, and install blinds in their new fixer-up starter home. He did it simply out of love for his family, with no expectation of payment or recognition. As was often the case in his life, he saw a need for help and stepped up without question or hesitation.
Jason loved to spend time with his niece and nephew, Emmie and Landon, and they loved spending time with him. Jason had many backyard sessions with Landon working on his baseball skills and spent many hours drawing and designing things with Emmie.
We often hear the words: “He has a big heart.” That statement is thrown around a lot to describe people and perhaps is overused. For Jason, that statement could not be used enough. He cared deeply about people. He was easily troubled when he saw injustice around him and especially troubled if he saw troubles or hurt within his own family. He would often, without telling anyone or needing acknowledgement, make a call, send a text or card, leave a note, or buy a gift for someone he knew needed it. That was what Jason did, to bring joy to someone during a tough time.
Jason’s caring nature was also seen with animals. He loved all of the family pets growing up and, even as an adult, his big heart continued to be seen. On several occasions, he would spot a stray or lost dog and bring it home to his fenced-in backyard until he could find its owners or locate someone who could help the dog. He also diligently provided for the hummingbirds that came into his yard every spring and summer, making sure they had sugar water at the ready.
On the Ballfield
Jason was an athlete, and baseball was one of his passions growing up and into his adult years. While growing up, he spent many hours in the family’s backyard batting cage to perfect his swing. His dad, Gary, felt very fortunate to escape those practice sessions without being seriously injured. Jason hitting the ball back up the middle at 100+ miles an hour was common. As a result of the time he put into the sport from an early age, Jason was an excellent baseball player when he entered high school, and he ranked high among the leaders in batting average in the city of Cincinnati during part of his senior year in high school. He also continued to play for one year in college. Jason always wanted to visit the Field of Dreams in Iowa but never had the chance. In July 2024 his family honored Jason by visiting the Field of Dreams.
On The Ice
Jason’s athleticism also showed on the ice – he could skate! He had no one in the family that taught him that skill – he could just do it. He put that skill to good use on the ice rink playing hockey. Put a stick in Jason’s hands on the ice rink and you would see some scoring. His family loved to watch him play, which he did in Colorado and in numerous tournaments throughout the Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky area.
One Fun Guy
Jason left plenty of time, though, to have fun. He colluded with his sister Sarah frequently to organize an event or surprise. The two pulled off an amazing ski trip to Breckenridge in 2000 with their dad in tow. In 2022, Sarah and Jason planned another ski trip to Colorado for the following year, this time for the whole Hester family. This was cancelled due to Jason’s illness, but the family plans to ski again for Jason very soon!
Jason loved music but not the music you might think of for someone born in 1980. Jason loved what would probably be considered oldies to his age group. He would regularly be listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elvis, or even Johnny Cash. One of his favorite songs was ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ by Billy Joel. He would often challenge family members to try to match the tempo of the song and get as many of the words right as possible, often with hilarious results. Jason used his love of music to make CDs for family members when they needed encouragement or a pick-me-up, and he always knew just the right songs to use. When he worked at Amazon, he would lighten the hectic day by playing music over the intercom system that matched what he thought would be appropriate for the workers. It wasn’t his job to do that, he just did it (oftentimes to the chagrin of upper management). It could be Christmas music, Halloween music, theme songs from movies – whatever moved him.
2023
In late 2022 Jason experienced abdominal pains and was treated for gastrointestinal issues. After no improvement he had a scan performed in January 2023. Results revealed that Jason had stage 4 Kidney cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma). He underwent four different treatments involving immunotherapy drugs as well as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) which were meant to specifically target RCC tumors. After several ups and downs, his cancer progressed, and Jason began a clinical trial at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati with a new treatment plan. After several weeks it became clear that there would not be enough time for the trial’s drugs to be effective. Jason passed away on December 24, 2023.
Heart of a Lion
During the last year, Jason fought his cancer battle with fortitude and perseverance. His independence, reflective nature, generosity, and strength of character were exemplified even more so during this time. He did not complain despite extreme pain but praised the Lord even more. He did not question but trusted even more deeply. Jason passed away at 6:45 am on Christmas Eve morning. Luke 6:45 says ‘A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart…’. Jason was indeed a good man.
There are many different ways Jason surprised his family and people who knew him. But there was no surprise to God. His whole life, Jason was being who God wanted him to be. He never tried to be someone he was not. He knew who he was and lived his life the way he was supposed to. That is why his family loved Jason – just the way he was.
We Can Only Imagine
Knowing Jason, after meeting Jesus and those who have gone before him, he probably asked where the closest ice hockey rink was so that he could skate to his heart's content.
He was truly one of a kind and our family couldn't be prouder of him.