Loving, charismatic, hard-working, optimistic, God-fearing
Jason was a devout believer in God and always strived to live by His word. He would help anyone in need and consistently stood in the face of injustice. He was loyal to his loved ones and always tried to make other people happy. He was a down-to-earth guy with a great sense of humor who always spoke his mind. Jay grew up with a sister, Fawn, and his brother, Anthony. He had another brother, David, who wasn’t around much in childhood, but that he reconnected with later in life, as well as a sister Nicole he also met later in life. He adored his niece Bella and Nephew Anthony and always looked forward to playing with them at family gatherings.
Jay was an all-American boy who grew up playing baseball. He was active in the boy scouts, played paintball, and video games and watching wrestling. As he got older, he maintained his love of sports of all kinds, and had a plethora of teams he rooted for, from basketball to baseball and football. He revered tradition and looked forward to Christmas every year, when he got to pick out a tree and put up the Christmas village underneath it.
Jay was a suave and charming fella who excelled in customer service. He also had a knack for making people feel safe and comfortable around him, as he was very caring and comforting to those in need. This compassion also extended to animals. He captured stray cats and took them to shelters to be fixed and put out for adoption. He was an infectiously positive person, who, throughout all of life’s trials, maintained his hopeful demeanor. He believed in family values and always remained faithful to the people he cherished.
Jay spent most of his life working in food service. He loved the fast pace and the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life. His best memory of work was the time he waited on the Colts player, Marvin Harrison. Jay had bigger ambitions though and was planning to get his GED so that he could carry out his plan to become an addiction counselor to help others suffering from substance used disorder. He also had plans to buy his uncle Tony’s Challenger and work on it as a project car.
As Jay’s addiction progressed, he became uninterested in things he used to enjoy; he was defensive and even paranoid. He also became isolated from family because of his guilt. His stepmother, Christina, says she now goes to a support group, ‘Face the Facts’ and has joined the online community of Delaware Overdose Awareness Day. She advocates for anyone who is willing to be trained to use Narcan. She says she misses talking to Jay every day, his sense of humor, their long talks and coffee runs, and the drives they would take together if they were having a bad day.
Jason’s stepmother Christina Moretti, provided information for this narrative.
July 31, 1982 – December 8, 2021-Age 39
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
Narrative Writer: Victoria Estes
