Our sister in law Jaimee passed away last week and we attended her funeral in Pittsburg. In summer 2021 when we were in Lake Powell we got a call from our family and found out that Jaimee had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We were heartbroken. Jaimee is extremely proactive with her health and we all were so sad to hear about this diagnosis and how that was affecting her and their cute family.
One of her sons was serving in Texas at the time. And another would be serving a mission to Argentina shortly after. It must have been so difficult to be separated with this diagnosis and the uncertainty that comes with stage 4 cancer.
Jaimee handled this diagnosis with a grace that I didn't even know was possible. She was so so proactive with her diet and even more so after she was diagnosed. She continued to exercise, even when she had a lot of pain. She didn't talk much about the cancer or her pain. Which was like her, but how is that even possible? I'm so not capable of this.
Jaimee had an extremely rare humility. She was compassionate, a peacemaker and a great listener. She had such a strong testimony and was just an exceptionally kind person that everyone wanted to be around. She was beautiful! I always loved her style. And yet always so humble! She was not one to draw attention to herself. She wouldn't be posting all of her accomplishments. So I was happy to see all of her marathon and triathlon medals and race photos at her funeral.
One memory I have is when eventually when Chris was playing for the Steelers, she got a new ring. We all got married young and I guess Chris wanted her to have a new diamond. And I was admiring how beautiful it was and asked how big it was. Girls talk like that right? I certainly wasn't trying to make her feel uncomfortable. But she was so humble about it and just said, "I'm not sure." I knew that was Jaimee just being Jaimee. But it was cute.
I was looking back through the old posts and pictures she was tagged in one day. And it just made me so happy for social media. In every post she's telling her darling kids how much she loves them. She is expressing her love for her family and for the gospel. Recently someone found a beautiful video she made for someone with her testimony in it. What a treasure for her family. I'm grateful for technology! And for the reminder to use it for good.
I'm also grateful for their strong testimonies of eternal families. Their family has been grounded in their faith all of these years and I hope that brings some peace when they are missing their sweet wife/mom/daughter, sister, etc.
