Last Saturday, I received the terrible news about a friends death from my former boss. His name was Jacob Linn. He passed away in a car accident Saturday morning on January 10, 2015. We were in homeroom together since freshman year, and we worked together at Nittany Pizza for 6 or 7 months. Jake was a great human being. I didn't know him very well in middle school, but I got to know him better in homeroom and work. I can still remember him sharing his gum with me in freshman year. I can remember all the hours we put in together at work just talking. I wasn't one of Jake's closest friends, but Jake was a good friend to me who made me feel happier when I was around him.
Jake really knew how to enjoy life. Jake was always excited about sports and knew all the results of almost every game in my opinion. Jake was always excited for the next comedy and the next game to come out, and we loved talking about them afterwards. I remember the countless hours we talked about our futures, from what we wanted to study to where we wanted to study in the kitchen at Nittany. I can remember all the times we used to tease his sister at work and how we all got along so well. Jake had such a good sense of humor and is loved by so many people.
He had pride in his roots. He was proud of where he was from. A little bit after I found out about his death, I realized he had a story on his snapchat from the night before. I watched it, and it was a video from a game in our High School Gymnasium. It made me realize how rooted he was. He loved being with the friends he's grown up with, going to our High School events after he graduated, and supporting those he loved at those events.
We could both relate to each other too. Back in April, I was in a minor car accident, and I really felt down on myself because I felt really embarrassed. When I was feeling down, Jake would be working with me, and he could relate to my problems and helped make my problems seem almost non-existent. Just by talking with him and others, I could feel my problems fell almost non-existant and focus on the tasks in front of me.
After hearing about his death, I didn't know what to think at first because everything was happening 2,000 miles away. Throughout this past week though, he has been on my mind a lot and I know he's in a better place. I believe that one day, he will be reunited with those he loves. I believe there is life after death. It really pains me that I cannot attend his funeral Saturday being so far away from home, but my prayers are with the Linn family in this terrible time in their lives and the other families and people affected by the accident and his death. He will be missed by many people, and he will be remembered.
Who was Jacob Linn? He was good, funny, caring, generous, a good sport, fun-loving, a brother, a son, and a friend. Rest in peace Jake.
