Jarett Charles Brigham

Jarett Charles Brigham. We named him Jarett just because we liked the name and Charles after his grandfather. His sunrise was June 7, 1985 at 11:47 PM and his sunset was February 12, 2017 at 2:20 PM. He was welcomed into this life by mom, dad and his big brother, Jason. He leaves behind to cherish his memory, mom, Willa and dad, Ronald, his brother Jason (Dubai), his son Jeremih Rudolph Brigham, his grandmother Louise W. Nall (Tuskegee, AL), his significant other, Domonique A. Rudolph, children of his heart, Jayda Newell and Devante’ Rudolph, and a host of extended family and friends.

He was a precocious child, much preferring to rewrite the rules than to follow them. His early years were filled with travel. Before he arrived in Cary, NC in 1993, Jarett had lived in Roselle, IL, Reston, VA, Simi Valley CA, Westchester, PA, Boston MA, and Rochester, NY. His travels did not go unnoticed. One of his physicians asked if he had lived in multiple locations. We replied yes and inquired why she had asked. She said it was fascinating listening to Jarett speak because he had five distinct dialects.

He was a gifted athlete. He participated in Track, Football, Wrestling. Basketball and BMX Bicycle Racing. He said he enjoyed them all but as he looked back as an adult on his accomplishments, he said his proudest sports moment was as a 10 year old, when he was crowned the NC Hershey Games State Champion in the 100 meters and the 200 meters.

For most of his growing years, Christmas through New Year’s meant travel. Jarett loved adventure and travel. Some of his favorites were, sailing off the coast of Cancun, jet skiing in Cozumel, tandem parachuting on his 21st birthday, climbing the Mayan Ruins at Chichen Itza, parasailing in Mazatlán, seeing Phantom of the Opera with Michael Crawford in Toronto and perhaps his favorite; sharing a suite with his brother on the Big Red Boat cruising the Caribbean.

He finished elementary school in Cary and attended Rumsey Hall Academy in Washington, CT. He began his high school years in Cary. He and high school had different commitment requirements for graduation. He made a decision that would profoundly affect the rest of his life. He decided to join the Job Corps in Memphis, TN. There he blossomed. He earned his GED, he was elected President of the Student Body and he was selected as the Campus Tour Guide for Dignitaries. He was most proud to tour Oprah Winfrey around the campus. The Job Corps also sent him to their Leadership Institute in recognition of his outstanding leadership. He was selected to attend their Advanced Training Center in Kansas City, MO following his graduation from Memphis.

Jarett began his employment career with Amtrak in Lorton, VA. He started in the Rail Yard for the Amtrak Auto Train in 2006. In 2008, he was promoted to Assistant Conductor and months later to Conductor. In 2009 he was promoted again to an Instructor in the Operating Practices Department in Washington DC. Just a month later he was promoted to Trainmaster in New Haven CT. He subsequently transferred to Union Station in Washington DC. In his Trainmaster role, Jarett had 33 employees in his charge. In a feature article Job Corp did on his career with Amtrak, Jarett gave them the following quote; “While I do celebrate my success, I have not forgotten where I came from. I encourage all of the students in the Job Corps program to continue working hard and to never give up.”

On August 19, 2011, Jarett and Domonique blessed us with our first grandchild, Jeremih Rudolph Brigham. In time, Jeremih will come to know his father as we knew him; a generous spirit, so full of joy and compassion.

May Jarett’s soul rest in peace, and may God give us the strength to always look at the bright years he has spent with us, and keep a smile in our hearts for all the joy he brought us.

There will be a visitation on Friday, February 24th from 7:00-9:00 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27511. Services will take place on Saturday, February 25th at St Matthew (AME) African Methodist Episcopal Church 1629 Bennett Street, Raleigh, NC with visitation from 10:30 am followed by a homegoing service at 11:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in memory of Jarett Charles Brigham to the Sickle Cell Anemia Association at 216-229-8600 or online at www.ascaa.org.

Arrangements under the direction of Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Cary, North Carolina.