Intelligent, soft-hearted, athletic, contemplative, beautiful
Growing up, Jacob was imaginative, funny, and outgoing. He believed he was a superhero and had all the confidence of one, always spiking his hair up and wearing goofy hats. Jacob loved animals and would lovingly name all his pets Spike. He and his sister Niki had a strong bond throughout their lives. They loved to watch TV and funny videos and play with their dogs. Jacob moved to Northern Colorado to be closer to Niki and his brother-in-law Eric, who he loved spending time with. Jacob had a yearly tradition of wearing a joke-tie for Christmas and taking selfies with his sister before dinner.
Jacob was passionate about health and fitness and dedicated a lot of time to working out and meal prepping. His love for athleticism persisted his entire life, from running a marathon to competing in a bodybuilding competition; Jacob was in it to win it. Jacob worked as a personal trainer for a time and excelled at it. Besides fitness, Jacob was also passionate about music. While his taste was diverse, he specifically loved old country music. His family recalls he knew the lyrics to almost any song that came on the radio.
Jacob also enjoyed writing, had a witty sense of humor, and frequently made funny greeting cards to give to family members. He loved his family and strived to stay in touch. Jacob’s dad was his best friend and the person he called to talk to about life. He also sent daily texts to his mom just to tell her he loved her. Jacob had a special connection with his Nana as well. More than anything he was looking forward to meeting his sister’s new son and becoming an uncle. Unfortunately, he passed two months before Weston was born.
Jacob was a resilient man that wasn’t afraid to put his all into something. He got his bachelor’s degree in business and finance from Metropolitan State University in Denver. He worked hard and wanted to live alongside his family and be the best person he could be. Prior to his passing, he worked for a restoration company and a concrete company that his brother-in-law owned, and loved both jobs.
After Jacob’s passing, several of Jacob’s neighbors attested to his kindness; telling his parents how he always carried groceries and took out the trash for his elderly neighbors, and kept an eye out to help his disabled neighbor across the hall. To Jacob’s parents, the most painful part of watching him suffer with substance use disorder (SUD) was not knowing how to help him. Watching him lose his sense of self-worth and purpose, as well as dealing with the stigma surrounding the disease was difficult.
Jacob’s family has learned to look at individuals with more grace, especially those with the disease of addiction. His family says they are now more open about Jacob and his story because they don’t want other families to feel alone or judged.
Jacob’s parents, Ron and Tiffiany Oreskovich, provided information for this narrative.
May 21, 1993–September 23, 2021-Age 28
Portrait Artist: Jeremy Hebbel
Narrative Writer: Victoria Estes
