Jordan Daniel Maler

Jordan Daniel Maler came into this world on April 26, 1993 in San Ramon, California. Like Amanda, he arrived two weeks early and took us all off guard, especially his big sister who wasn’t quite sure she was ready for a little brother. She loved to cover his entire body with every toy he had and constantly asked “When is the baby going home?” She soon became enamored with her super sweet little brother whom she called “DiDi.”

Jordan was mischevious (in a good way!) and fun, hiding inside closets, a total prankster even in his early days, yet always flashing his trademark smile, with that twinkle in his golden brown eyes. He won the hearts of everyone who knew him from the very beginning and could make others laugh with one of his made up words or signature moves – like dropping food all over the floor to express his dismay with what was in front of him, including anything with a “squishy” texture. All of us learned very quickly that he was unhappy when anyone touched his food or if his food touched fruit. It just wasn’t cool to him. He was a connoisseur from early on.

In school, Jordan excelled in many areas. He was an incredible writer, skilled at science, math and history and a natural born leader. He joined leadership classes as early as he could and ran for ASB President in middle school. He took those responsibilities very seriously and that set the stage for his role as a lifelong leader. He was inspired by his grandfather’s guidance to be the best person he could be and constantly pushed himself to achieve new heights. It was because of his unique style and good nature, as well as diligence in the pursuit of excellence that he was named Student of the Year three consecutive times by three different teachers at Iron Horse Middle School. Those awards and other accolades gave him the confidence he needed to push himself into additional leadership roles in high school, where he led most all of the key student initiatives during the very first years of Dougherty Valley High School, where he was a member of the first four year graduating class in 2011. His friends from grade school through middle and high school were one of the most important parts of his life during this time. He worked hard to balance school and time with his closest friends, trying new restaurants, going to amusement parks and of course, concerts, or just hanging out. He took great pride trying to make every event he had in our home personal, unique and ultimately the most fun for everyone. An Academy Awards themed Prom pre-party and a throwback to the 80s Homecoming were two favorites.

Jordan was truly excited when he was accepted to Cal Poly. Although he considered NYU and USC, he somehow knew SLO would be the best place for him and he graciously accepted entrance to the Orfalea School of Business. He enjoyed all that came with being a Marketing and Management major and dove into school projects and teams with passion. His presence was strongly felt at Cal Poly, where he helped launch the Mustang Success Center, which supports Cal Poly students with academic advising and services to help them graduate on time. He also served as Vice President of the American Marketing Association’s Cal Poly chapter.

It was at Cal Poly that Jordan met and became close to a new group of friends in the dorms – the same group he has been with since that time. They went on from the dorms to be roommates and stayed close throughout all of college and eventually moved up to the Bay Area together where they've spent time or talked nearly every day together since that time. Attending music festivals and shows, trying new restaurants and traveling around the state as well as to various parts of the country together have all been part of their lives together, as well as supporting each other through the launch of their careers, graduate school, changes in career paths and moves to other cities. They are referred to as "The Big Chill" group by some of the parents because of their unique relationships and support of each other nearly 9 years after meeting at Cal Poly.

Jordan found psychology interesting enough to achieve his minor at Cal Poly and this blended perfectly with his marketing and management focus, creating an unparalleled business acumen with heart. He took this with him to his first position post-college at Facebook where he was part of a team focused on customer success. Although he considered a longer career with the company, he was recruited by one of his former managers to Pinterest, which he found both interesting and exciting, partly due to it's pre-IPO status. He had been a power user of Pinterest for several years and believed in the company and its purpose. It was here he found himself quickly excelling as he juggled work for two teams simultaneously as a QA analyst for ad formats, testing quality and collaborating on weekly data releases. His work often involved late hours, and he was known as a calming voice in stressful situations with his teams. He was set to celebrate his three year anniversary with the company in February.

Jordan cared about these things and prioritized them – family first – he was fiercely supportive of all of us in all things. His friends – he loved you all with the same sense of abandon we have loved on our friends from Palm Springs to Cal Poly to the Bay Area. Music – it was his release, his love, his happy place. Thank you to all of you who shared this incredible passion with him. It made him so happy. Some of our happiest times as a family were when we were together in music. We will carry on his legacy with a Cal Poly Music Department Endowment in Jordan's name.

Please remember Jordan as he would want you to and help us carry on his legacy. He was a curator of all things – music, fashion, food among other things. He chose the most perfect shows and festivals to attend and loved it when he went with his family and closest friends. He loved celebrating birthdays and hand-selected gifts for everyone, carrying them from as far as Paris or as close as See’s candy. He loved us with all of his heart and soul. He would want us to go on, go to festivals, go to shows, go to museums, walk through the City, eat at fun new restaurants, celebrate him in the Bay, in SLO, in Palm Springs, wherever we are. He would want us to have vodkas and latkes. He truly, truly would want us to go on and live our lives to the fullest, just as he did. Please make time to toast him with an apperol spritzer, a glass of wine or his favorite Saison. Please watch for his practical jokes and the signs he will be sending you from the universe. He is EVERYWHERE. Whatever it is you choose to do to honor him, do it with all of your heart, because that’s what he always did for all of us.

Jordan Daniel -- we love you with all we have and the loss of you in all of our lives is something we will be trying to deal with forever. We thank you for your time with us and we will carry your unique love, humor and talents with us always, along with your beautiful smile. How blessed beyond belief we have been to have you in our lives for 26 years. Our memories of so many incredible times spent together are what we'll rely upon to get us through. You will be with us every single day, in our hearts and on our minds, until we are together again. We love you, sweet Jordan. Thank you for all you taught us during your time on earth.