Jerry Staton Jr - College Fund

Jerry was the best man at my wedding and my best friend. He was the best friend of a lot of people. Jerry passed away suddenly in the early hours of Monday morning (11.9.15). I was in shock when I got the call as we had just talked on Saturday. We talked about work, the weather, etc...but most of all we talked about our families.

Jerry left behind a son. Little Jerry, as we affectionately call him, was Jerry's best friend. I could not talk to Jerry without him telling me about one of Little Jerry's accomplishments. How many goals he scored in soccer, how he won second place in a chess contest or how good he was doing in school.

Jerry is 12 and I have boys that are 13 and 15 so they are very close. They are the best friends and will be for life. We took Little Jerry on our ski trip season before last and I got my boys to Dallas as quick as I could so they could be with LJ during this difficult time. Knowing his son so well I will pick of the ball for my brother and tell you he is the best kid in the world.

I had not planned on setting up a fund for Jerry but many have asked if there was some sort of fund they could give to. I contributed to a Niece’s mission trip with through GoFundMe and have seen it raise a lot of money for people in times of need. I am still sorting through Jerry's affairs, but I am confident he did not have money set aside for LJ's education. Jerry was self-employed and was going through some hard times both physically and financially.

I am going to start the fund with $500. I don't expect to get large donations, but many small ones add up. If you want to donate anonymously you can, but I will still have your contact information. You can, of course, expect a thank you email, but I am going to keep your information and tuck it away. Jerry is an extremely bright kid and excels at school. In my head I imagine him palling around with my boys at A&M but who knows what the future will bring. I do want everyone to know what kind of difference you made so I will send you a note 5 years from now and let you know what college he will be attending. My desire is that he is afforded every opportunity his Dad was as he started his life out of high school.

Thanks so much for everyone who has reached out. I am truly wiping tears away as I type this. I am committed to being a best Uncle I can be for LJ. There will always be room in our suburban for one more for every ski trip, trip to the beach, or three day weekend and it will always have Little Jerry's name on it. I have already let him know that we will do more together and his response was "that will be cool". It really will be. 

The last thing I want to say-  I know that Jerry knew I loved him, I did not say it as we ended our conversation Saturday. I wish I had and will make this a habit moving forward. Jerry was a Christian and I know I will see him again some day in Heaven.

With Love,
John Staton