Jesse Mathew Cole

To be born on New Year’s Day and succumb on Easter Sunday may be unique. But to know Jesse, unique is who he was.

Jesse spent his early childhood in Washington state before moving to Louisiana at the age of 10. He graduated from Bossier High School in 2009 where he excelled in his math classes. A son of a history loving airman, Jesse relished in the opportunity to utilize strategies of his own while playing his favorite video, card, or board games. Though he would rarely admit it, Jesse would play various games not just to win, which he did often, but to spend quality time with his friends and family. It is his heart, his kind, gentle heart, that he got from his mother. Jesse and Mary shared the same disposition, laugh, and love for animals. Throughout his 29 years on this earth, Jesse’s relationship with Mary deepened year after year.

Drawing from the strength of his father and love of his mother, Jesse never quit fighting his illness. He always had the will to persevere and remain positive in all circumstances. It was in the depths of his health struggles where Jesse made the most important decision of his life. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and held onto his hope for eternity with his Lord.

Jesse beat to his own drum and never felt the need to conform to the world around him. Many of his peers growing up may not have shared his love for reading, staying informed with current events, or even his desire to live beneath his means. But Jesse did not care what everyone else was doing. If Jesse could have his druthers, he would be wrapped in a warm blanket on his couch eating a bowl of macaroni & cheese with a book in his hand.

Jesse left his friends and family too soon. Yet the memories he created with those he loved will live on for many years. Jesse is survived by his father and mother, Allen and Mary Cole, and his older brother, Jason Griffin among many other aunts, uncles, cousins, and his grandfather. He now joins his grandmother, Barbara Cole, and they will be waiting to welcome their family with board games in heaven.