Thank you for taking your time to read this celebration of Jenner’s life, as written by his loving wife and best friend, Melissa.

 Jenner Michael Dove came into this world on May seventh, 1983. He was welcomed by his parents Mike and Lisa and his older brother Justin. He then welcomed his younger siblings: Nate, Tanner, Thomas, Becca, Mason and Merritt. He loved each one and took the role of older brother very seriously. When we met he bragged all about his siblings.

There are so many words in the English language that could be used to describe Jenner. The one I think we can all agree on was stubborn. Instead of the standard ice wide stubborn streak, Jenner’s was ten miles wide. And while that drove me crazy, it helped him so many times in his life. That stubbornness pulling him through dark times by sheer will alone.

He was loving to a fault and sometimes to the detriment to himself and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. He was funny in the fact that I could never stay mad at him for more than an hour. If it got close to that long, all he had to do was take some song and create his own version, often crude and I’d be laughing instantly.

He was insanely gifted, though he never really saw it that way. Even at the age of thirty-eight and out of practice for a good number of years, he skate every day, making things look so simple and fluid. His art is something that I will always be in awe of. All he needed was a simple prompt and he’d have Captain Hook riding the croc like a bucking bronco. He could lose himself in bringing the unique characters and worlds to life with just his hands.

I always loved sharing how we met because it shows the sweet side of him that not many saw it. In Jenner’s words, he made a pact with his brother, Nate to ask a girl that looked like she didn’t get asked to dance when a slow song game out and a dance. He made many laps, each time a young woman catching his eye but he thought she was too pretty and must get asked to dance all of the time so he figured he ask her anther song.

 One lap he spied Nate dancing with a girl that most definitely did not meet the requirements so he made a beeline for the girl. That was the day I met my best friend. We may have only had half a song and a talk out in the hallway, but I was drawn to him instantly. I went home and told my sister that I had met my future that night.

Disneyland was what gave us the connection to grow our relationship and while he loved to tease me for my obsession with it, he too grew to love if for the tether is created in the family we grew. Each of our children have been there with him, laughing and riding the rides, eating the foods and creating timeless memories with him. Those times are immortalized with videos and pictures that they can look back on and see how much he loved them.

Jenner had a struggle filled life, some demons of his own creation and some thrust upon him. He fought them valiantly, and often too difficult paths to overcome them. Sometimes it led him to people that he will always remember and that helped him in just that short time to continue. They helped hold him up until he found that inner strength to do it on his own.

Jenner lived for those he loved, most importantly his children. With each new addition to our family, he preened lie a proud peacock, showing off this little person who had stolen another piece of his heart. He loved helping them learn anything they could and celebrated with each milestone, no matter how small.

Each of our children inherited his love and talent for drawing and that made him the proudest dad there ever could be.He loved spending time teaching him all they knew, nurturing that spark of talent. He loved playing video games with them, especially Strider. Often our lazy days were spent with the two of them set up to play together, yelling across the halls because they never wore headsets. With Braven he loved creating fantastical creatures and worlds on paper, talking at length of each ones backstory. He and Kingston were wall on their way to becoming master lego builders, their creations so detailed and mind boggling that I could never understand how they made them from just a thought in their minds.

 With Moxie, he was a goner from before she was even born. I was adamant that she was another boy, but I discovered that he had an amazon shopping list of things for her before we even knew what she was. He dove head first into being a girl dad. Learning to do her hair and coordinating the perfect outfit. And when she wanted to change it again and again each day, he was the one to help dress up his princess. One of his self proclaimed proudest moments was learning to braid her hair.

If there was someone Jenner loved more than his kids, it wasn’t me. Neo held that honor. He came into his life when Jenner was struggling to come out on top to his struggles. He calmed his anxiety and pulled him from the darkness. The two of them fell hard and fast, rivaling stories of the great friends throughout history.

Jenner passed about a month shy of our sixteenth anniversary and most alway thought I was the ore romantic of the two, a by product of my Disney princess obsession. But he dominated that category in our relationship. When we were dating, he suggested that we write letters to each other since we lived so far away. An hour normally, but it’s California so that meant it was more like three hours.

So many times over our years, we’d pull those letters and laugh and cry and fall for each other even more over them. His simple thought years ago have memorialized his thoughts that keep him with me.

Jenner was well and truly my best friend. He put up with my moods and many, many quirks. He watched trashy reality shows with me, yelling along with me even though he had no idea what was going on.

Our favorite thing to do was to put the kids to be, gather our dessert for the night. Mine was usually cake, his was always ice cream. Then we’d watch true crime, racing to solve the crimes before the shows end, cheering when we got it right. Cringing when the dreaded line “They had a smile that lit up the room” was said. It made us promise each other that when the either one of us passed, we wouldn’t sugar coat. So here’s me fulfilling that promise.

 Jenner wasn’t the perfect husband, but that’s okay, because I wasn’t the perfect wife. There were many years that I feared the end of us because he couldn’t fight the demons he faced. There were many times he feared the same. Those demons led him to self medicate and that wreaked havoc on our family for far too long. But he fought, never truly giving into the destructive thoughts that plagued his mind. With each day, his strength grew till he could pull himself out, a nearly indestructible man for the war he won.

The last few years were the happiest and I will be eternally grateful for that. For the fact that he passed knowing that he was my hero and I was so proud of everything he had achieved. He knew that his kids worshipped everything he did, whether it was just listening to whatever their interest was that particular day or making them crepes with all of the trimmings for dinner.

He knew that the love he gave us will be held in our hearts till the sun dies. That’s what life is about. The love and life we leave with those most important to us.

So in memory of Jenner, love your loved ones with everything you’ve got every chance you’re given. Show up for the small things. Eat a treat and talk about nothing. Make up silly songs and dance in the kitchen. Ask them about their sorrows and trouble, not to try and solve them for them, but to help strengthen them so that they can conquer them themselves. Smile at them just so they’ll smile back. Hold the love and joy that they gift you deep in your hearts, so that if there is ever a time when they aren’t here, you can still feel them with you.

And for those that can do so without hurting yourself, flip an ollie for Jenner.

July 8th, 2021 is a day that will never leave our hearts. After battling complications from COVID-pneumonia for weeks, while being prepared for surgery, Jenner left behind his pains and sorrows from this life. Although we are grateful that he is no longer in pain and suffering, our hearts ache at the loss of this great man.

Jenner loved many things in this life. He loved his fellow man and country so much to serve in the U.S. Army. He was a gamer, a skater, an artist, but most importantly a father and a husband. His love for his family is how he will truly be remembered. He laughed with them when they needed joy and comforted them when they needed strength. 

He will be laid to rest the end of this month, and the funds proceeding from the fundraiser will help Melissa and her children keep the home they built up with Jenner. Any amount you can donate is appreciated and if you are unable to donate at this time, we appreciate your thoughts and love.