Jordy Rourke

Jordy passed away on Monday, May 19, 2008, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center of a heart attack. He was a Catholic High honors graduate and had just completed his sophomore year at Millsaps College. Jordy loved sports. Although the cards were stacked against him in the physical realm (he was born with spina bifida), he was still fiercely determined to compete. He threw himself into all kinds of games with friends and classmates, never complaining or asking for special treatment. Other things came more naturally to Jordy. He was a true "people person," and a terrific friend to an astonishing variety of people. One could say this was effortless to him, since he seemed to have been born with a rare measure of empathy and compassion. Even so, he worked hard at relationships, always making sure to set aside quality time for each of his friends. He was a devoted son and brother, and he loved spending time with his three young nephews. As a teenager, he was a counselor at the Lions Camp for Handicapped Children; in college, he spent several vacations volunteering in rural Mississippi. Jordy cultivated a great many interest in talents - from fishing to classical guitar. Like many 20-year-olds, he had not quite figured out what to do with his life, though he was interested in some kind of helping profession. Meanwhile, he worked hard at everything, every day, from his schoolwork to shooting baskets. But he worked hardest at what came most naturally: being there for other people - friends, family and even strangers in need. Jordy is survived by his mother and father, Marie and Mike; sister, Kelley; brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Melissa and their three children, Cole, Tyler and Landon; grandparents, Bruce and Jeanne Tregre and Connie Rourke; a large and loving extended family and innumerable friends. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, O.P. Rourke. Visitation at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd., on Thursday, May 22, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitation at St. George Catholic Church, 7808 St. George Drive, on Friday, May 23, from 9 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., concelebrated by the Rev. Tom Ranzino, the Rev. Mike Schatzle and the Rev. Frank Bass. Interment in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be Brian, Robert, Beau and Ryan Rourke, Jacob Cherry and Bruce Tregre Jr. Honorary pallbearers are Drew Copponex, Kyle Vallot, Peter Twal, Michael Mohr, Ben Sauls and Brad Fossier. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Lions Camp for Handicapped Children, P.O. Box 2463, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.