The following is submitted by computer engineer freshman Jordan Grant’s parents. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News.
We are unable to breathe without our 18-year-old son Jordan Grant of Plano, Texas. We struggle to comprehend a world that no longer has his bright smile, compassion and loving heart in it. He was such a good person.
Everyone who met or knew Jordan was blessed with his ready smile, irrepressible laugh and generous heart. His teachers said it best when they wrote, “Jordan was unfailingly kind, helpful and considerate of others.” He was the friend everyone called when they needed help, or just a shoulder to lean on, day or night. Jordan had great depth for his few years and knew great love.
Jordan lived his entire life in the same home in Plano, Texas and graduated from Plano ISD Academy High School. He lived an extraordinary life in his short 18 years. He grew up surrounded by his mom’s close-knit Plano family who surrounded him with love and adoration. Summers growing up were spent at the Cypress Springs lake house — enjoying July Fourth parades and fireworks with his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and bringing friends and their families out for weekends of fun and games. The walls of the lake house are filled with pictures of a thoroughly enjoyed, childhood growing up with his cousins and close friends. Jordan loved wake surfing, tubing, racing the Sea-Doo around the lake and driving the boat.
Along with parents Becky and James and his sister Nicole, Jordan traveled widely, enjoying frequent trips to Mexico and the Caribbean Islands with a close group of family and friends, as well as Costa Rica, London and Paris, the Beaches of Normandy and Hawai’i to visit Uncle Peter. He loved his annual trips to British Columbia, Canada to visit his dad’s large group of siblings and enjoy the love and warmth they always showered on him. Jordan traveled to B.C. this past June to share his high school graduation and pending college plans.
Jordan treasured his friends and was lucky enough to have a friend group who treasured him equally. He told us he had limited time before college and wanted to do as much as possible with his friends: playing video games, taking trips to Austin, to the lake house (without parents, by request) and to the symphony to hear a live performance of the Jurassic Park soundtrack. During this past year, he completed fixing up his black Mustang GT with carbon fiber throughout and he loved going to Cars and Coffee to shock all with the cracking sound of his two-step, Armytrix custom exhaust (we still don’t understand, but he loved this noise!). This was followed by his buying a wrecked Sahara Wrangler and customizing it to his specs — including fenders, bumpers, lift kit, LED light kits and winch. It was his new ride for college and the dunes.
Jordan was accepted at all colleges he applied to and selected Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as the best school to fulfill his childhood dreams. In his three short weeks at Cal Poly, Jordan studied computer engineering and made so many new friends. With curiosity and excitement, he joined as many clubs as possible. He spent a wonderful weekend with the four wheeling Poly Goats Club and with other jeep enthusiasts camping and riding on the Oceano Dunes. Even with the many challenges of starting college, Jordan was generous with his time and made many friends and connections in his short time at Cal Poly. He had a big heart for those he felt needed some extra comfort, and was quick to say a kind word, or simply smile across the room to brighten someone’s day.
Jordan was excited to sign up to watch the SpaceX rocket launch with the Cal Poly Astronomy Club. He was on Highway 101 going to this event at Vandenberg Air Force Base when his life was tragically taken from us when an SUV pulled out unsafely across his path. Good Samaritans, Ashley De La Vega and Michael Freund heroically rushed to his side and performed CPR in efforts to save Jordan’s life and were holding his hand until the end.
The Cal Poly family held a beautiful Celebration of Life in the center of campus. Student after student stepped forward and shared how Jordan, in such a short period of time, had touched their lives and become their friend.
Jordan, you will be happy that your closest friends are here to carry you the last few miles as you would have wanted.
Jordan, you will be missed each and every moment by all of your Plano family. You were a bright light and were loved so deeply by your grandparents, Bryan and Ellen Morris. You were cherished and a friend to all your three aunts, three uncles and nine cousins.
Jordan, you will smile knowing your Canadian aunts and uncles rushed to California and followed you here to Texas to be by your side and to grieve the tragic loss of their favorite Texas nephew. Your Canadian family includes eight aunts, eight uncles and 42 cousins.
Jordan, we will miss you every moment of every day for the rest of our lives. We love you Jordan, we love you, we love you.
Please join us in remembering Jordan
Visitation will be held this Friday night, October 19th, from 6-9 p.m. at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home at 2525 Central Expressway North in Allen. Remembrance service will be held on Saturday, October 20th, at the same location. Seating will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the service to begin at 2:00. Following the service we will drive in procession to Pecan Grove Cemetery at Highway 5 and Industrial Boulevard in McKinney where Jordan will be laid to rest.
In lieu of flowers, Jordan’s family requests that any gifts to honor Jordan be given to the GoFundMe campaign to eliminate the death trap at El Campo and Highway 101 that caused Jordan’s death.
We also request that each of you sign the Change.org petition and forward to everyone you know, including posting on social media, to gather enough voices to affect this change and prevent someone else’s loved one from being taken from them.