From Dane Hirst

I met Jason Brown in 7^th grade. I can still remember wanting to be friends with him because he was so much “cooler” than me but was still genuinely nice to me every time he saw me. I was very shy in junior high school and didn’t have many friends, but Jason went out of his way to say hi to me every time he saw me. Jason was always like that. He had a way of making people feel special and important. He was one of the few people that I have ever known that was a truly good listener. Most people love to talk about themselves, but Jason loved to talk about you. He probably knew more people’s closest secrets than anybody I know because everybody knew that they could tell him anything and know that he would listen caringly and they could trust him.

Jason and I became close friends near the end of high school. Jason, Joe Hall, and I spent most of our time with each other. Those were some of the best times of my life. Jason always made sure that we had something fun to do whether it was going “rolling” at Rock Canyon Park (he perfected a technique for somersaulting down steep grass hills), going hot-tubbing at Parkway Crossing in Betty Boop thongs, or cruising around town on my scooter in nothing but girls board shorts, trucker hats, and smiles. Some of my very favorite memories are with Jason and Joe.

I will forever owe Jason Brown for introducing me to my wife. He had no intention of us getting married, he just thought I needed to “get sum” but I fell for her eventually anyway.

I lost touch with Jason over the last few years which makes me very sad. I wish that I had been able to share in the happy moments of his life and share mine with him, but I will carry all the wonderful memories I have with me for the rest of my life. My heart goes out to his wonderful wife Bailey and the rest of his family. Jason Brown will be sorely missed but never forgotten.