Jacob Roy "Jake" Arntson

On the afternoon of July 5th of 2005, Jacob Roy Arntson (Jake) came into our lives. Despite what doctors feared, Jake came out 100% healthy and brought more joy to our lives than any of us could ever imagine. We didn’t know at the time that Rylee’s “little baby brother”, his Mama’s “sweet baby” or his Daddy’s “big boy” would touch our lives in a way we will never be able to completely describe. Not only did “Jakey Bones” touch our lives, but the “Big Guy” touched the lives of thousands more. We have spent the past few days in amazement at how at such a young age, Jake was able to build so many personal relationships with so many.

Jake was so full of love and cared so much for others. He could light up a room with his smile, his bright eyes, or his contagious giggle! He just had a way of making people feel better when he was around. Jake truly loved people, all people. He had a way of making a friendship with complete strangers in a matter of minutes. As many of you know, he was not afraid to approach someone and talk to them. He had an amazing gift of making people comfortable with him almost instantly. And he loved to talk , and talk, and talk…. However, for some reason it was never annoying, and when he left, you found yourself wanting to hear more from him.

Jake loved many things in his life….toys, sports, coloring, playing with friends. He went through his phases of loving monster trucks, to Lighting McQueen and the movie Cars, to collecting every NFL football team helmet and memorizing the teams, to Star Wars action figures, to Mario Brothers, and finally Transformers. He loved to play with his toys and then go draw them, color them, and cut them out. He enjoyed the toys he created more than the actual ones. He had a magical way of bringing them to life with his actions and his sound effects!

Jake loved to make people laugh. He was always the class clown so to speak. He found joy in seeing others laugh and be happy. He was also the kid who would worry about someone if they looked sad or lonely and he would go out of his way to try and make everyone happy and bring them comfort. This is who Jake was, the person who wanted to make sure everyone was happy and full of joy!

Family was very important to Jakey. He often would talk about how much he loved his Nana and his Papa. He loved to go see them at the Farm. He also was always so excited to go back to Montana and see his Grandma Ellen and Papa Roger along with his uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Jake also loved to spend time at the ball fields. He loved to be out on the field at practices or games. He absolutely adored all the players and coaches and getting to hang out with them. He would often get angry at his dad if he couldn’t come to a practice or a game and make him promise he could go to the next one. He loved to spend time with his dad and be at his side. They were each other’s best friends. They had so much fun together and were so happy together. They had so much love for one another He will forever be his daddy’s big boy!

As much as people saw Jake at the fields, he also loved to be with his mom. They had such a special relationship. He loved to snuggle with his mommy at night and have her scratch his hands and feet to help him sleep. He would do everything he could to keep her in his bed so he didn’t have to go to sleep and she would stay with him. He also loved to go out on special dates with his mom after school for frozen yogurt or anywhere to just talk with his mommy and just be with her.

Jake also loved to spend time with his “Big Sis”. She did such a wonderful job of taking care of him. The love these two shared for each other was so unique. Rylee often got Jake ready in the morning for school and Jake loved having his Sissy make him breakfast and get him ready for the day. Jakey was always so positive, he would always tell her, that today was going to be “his best day.”

More than anything though, Jake loved to just be at home with his family and his dog Bates. He was a true home body in every sense of the word. He was most happy when he was with his family. He loved to have his family all together watching TV or just hanging out. And he always wanted to have everyone all sleep in mom and dad’s bed together, including Bates. He just loved his family!

Jake was truly an angel here on Earth. In the short time he was here, he taught us all so many things. He taught us how to treat everyone with love and care for them. He taught us to reach out to others and make them feel welcome. He taught us that life is precious and we need to live that way. Seeing how much love people had for Jake and hearing the stories about him shows us what a great little boy he truly was. We, as a family, find true comfort in knowing that he made such a strong mark on this world. As much as we hate to see him go, we need to live out our remaining days in his honor. Loving one another and being a friend to everyone! We need to do this until that sweet day when we will get to see Jake again in heaven!

Jake passed away on Monday, December 31, 2012 in a traffic accident east of Hood River, Oregon. He is survived by his parents John and Tracy Arntson of Clackamas OR; sister Rylee Mae Croce of Clackamas OR; grandparents Roger and Ellen Arntson of Great Falls MT, Sandee and Pinky Piluso of Aumsville OR and Forrest Croce of Elm City NC; aunts and uncles include Tony and Robyn Arntson, Jeff and Joanie Agamenoni, Karen Piluso, Christopher Brennen and Aaron and Tammy Croce; cousins Troy and Ryan Arntson, Edin and Adam Agamenoni and Madelaine Koller and Jake’s dog Bates.

A Celebration of Life for Jake will be held at 1:00pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013 at the Clackamas High School Gym in Clackamas, Oregon. Private Interment at Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland, Oregon. Arrangements entrusted to Bateman Carroll Funeral Home in Gresham, Oregon. Instead of gifts or flowers, the family suggests donations to the Jacob R. Arntson Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo branch.