Uncle Jay

On Saturday we got the heartbreaking news that Jay is gone. He went hiking in the Lakeside mountains on the west side of the Great Salt Lake early Wednesday morning because he was missing his son, Riley. Riley is serving an LDS mission in Sweden and has been there a total of 4 days now. This particular spot he went to was his and Riley's favorite spot. I found out he was missing on Friday morning when my Dad, Mom, my brother Matt and many others went searching for him. My husband, Matt, went out later in the day with men from my parents ward. They all searched so hard and so long without any results. Saturday morning came and there were even more volunteers to help find him. The news came in around 11am that someone had found his body. It appears that Jay had fall off a cliff very early on Wednesday morning. He still had all his water, insulin, and food untouched, although his mom said he had a candy wrapper in his hand when they found him. But since it was such a rugged, hot area, and his water was still sealed, his brothers said they believe it happened within 30 minutes of leaving his car. He had texted his wife, Marcie, that morning once he got to the top of the mountain to tell her where he was. Thankfully we know from that text where to look for him. Our hearts are breaking for his family of 6 children who will miss him so much. We're praying for Marcie to be comforted and to feel our love.

I'm very grateful today for the sealing ordinance that binds this family together throughout eternity. It's comforting to know that this is not the end of their lives together. I know that Heavenly Father's hand is in every experience we have and that He is watching over all his family and his friends right now.