Jayden Ecker

Jayden Anana Ecker In the peaceful early morning hours of Wednesday, January 27th, 2016, the beautiful soul of 21-year old Jayden Anana Ecker departed this Earth as we know it, and raced towards the heavens. Jayden was born on March 23rd, 1994 in Oakland, California. Her highly-anticipated birth was celebrated for the families of Tom and Jaynie Ecker who would become her parents. Jayden lived in Rapid City, SD joining an older brother and sister, and eventually two younger sisters, until she was four years old when the family moved to Kauai, Hawaii. Jayden returned to the family’s lake home in SW South Dakota for all twenty-one summers of her life, a place she lovingly called home. It was there, as well as in Hawaii, that Jayden fell in love with the water, and it was warm water that gave her great comfort throughout her short life. In 1998, the family moved to Rosenberg, TX where Jayden attended preschool and Taylor Rae Elementary School. During that time, Jayden became very ill and at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, she was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. As an energetic and precocious 6- year old, she endured finger pokes and insulin shots several times a day. She handled it with great courage and resumed her life as an active 1st grader. Three years later, the family moved to Brenham, TX where Jayden attended Alton Elementary School, both proud and pleased to be in the same school where her parents were both teaching. After the family’s move to Troy in 2003, Jayden attended schools there for a short time before transferring to Lamar Middle School and Temple High School. She was an honor student who excelled in all subject areas. She was especially proud to be a cheerleader at Lamar and also played the piano for several years. She was a member of the French Club and the National Honor Society. She played golf on Temple High’s Varsity Golf Team. She graduated in the top 10% of her senior class in 2012. Jayden was also a longtime 4-H member who excelled at sewing. She won awards for her talent and artistry, including being named Reserve Grand Champion twice for sewing formal gowns that she modeled on the runway during the annual Bell County Youth Fair. Throughout her short life, Jayden dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher. She was awarded substantial scholarships to pursue that passion. She received the Grow Your Own Scholarship through Temple ISD, the Bell County Youth Fair Scholarship, Texas A&M Academic Achievement Scholarship, the Texas Academic Rising Star Scholarship, as well as being named an Outstanding Central Texas Teen in 2011. With great excitement, Jayden attended Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi where she also enjoyed her job as a campaign assistant for state senate candidate Raul Torres as well as working at HEB. Unfortunately, in the fall of her sophomore year, Jayden became very ill once again. She returned to Temple where she was diagnosed with severe Gastroparesis, a disease caused by long-term Type I diabetes that would eventually become Jayden’s greatest challenge in life. She was hospitalized 28 times in the past two years. A gastric stimulator implanted at Texas Tech University Hospital in the spring of 2014 helped put Jayden back on her feet. She attended Temple College so that she could be closer to her family and in October of 2015, Jayden was thrilled to move into her own apartment. She made three trips in the past year that gave her great joy, spending time with her nieces and nephews in Minnesota as well as California. Little did she or her family know that she was also suffering from advanced heart disease. Jayden would eventually suffer a massive heart attack while hospitalized at Scott/White Hospital in Temple. Jayden lit up the world with her smile, her warmth, her quick wit, her generosity, her laughter, and her love for other people. She would’ve been a wonderful teacher, wife, and mother. Jayden’s surviving family include her parents, Tom and Jaynie Ecker of Temple, older sister Jessica (and husband Steve) of Aptos Valley, CA, older brother Justin (wife Michelle) of Plymouth, MN, younger sisters Jaymia (Texas State University) and Kylee (Texas A&M University) as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. She is also survived by Grandparents Neil and Peggy Tschetter of Rapid City, SD, Janesta Downey of Hercules, CA, John Downey of Oakland, CA and Viki Macklin of Concord, CA. Jayden will also be greatly missed by her birthparents, Anana Downey (and daughter Jayla) of Hercules, CA and Malik Macklin (and daughter Rikki) of Pittsburgh, CA. Jayden endured more pain in 21 years than most people endure in an average lifetime. We are heartbroken to say goodbye, yet it was time for Jayden to be given her wings. A celebration of Jayden’s life will be held on Saturday, February 6th, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Troy United Methodist Church in Troy, TX. Feel free to wear something purple for Jayden! In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made online through GoFundMe (Celebrating Jayden). All proceeds will be donated to finding cures for the diseases that took Jayden’s beautiful soul all too soon. Although your physical presence on this Earth has ceased, the impact you have made is far from over and finally, you are free.