Jake Harry Berman

Jake was born on November 17, 1990 in Dayton, Ohio. As the youngest of four kids, he was adaptable, funny, goofy, and lovable. As he grew older, his athletic ability began to shine. First it was five-year-old soccer, then years of pee wee football. He was an absolute football star — a running back on offense and a cornerback on defense, all the way through his junior year in high school. He was unstoppable! We delighted in watching him play and watching him develop wonderful friends. Then one day he decided to try wrestling. And guess what? He was great at that too! He wrestled from fourth grade through high school, with a rather elite reputation in the Dayton wrestling community.

Lest you think Jake was only about sports, you would be wrong. Jake went to the University of Dayton and studied photography and eventually sociology, graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He cared deeply about income inequality and issues of social justice. He was a published author of two journal articles, on incarceration and addiction. He was passionate about making the world a better place.

Jake had more than his fair share of struggles in his young life. He battled addiction and mental health challenges, having been an abuse victim. After committing himself to a program of recovery, he had been sober for seven years at the time of his death, an accomplishment that gave him great pride. He used his commitment to sobriety to help others in need, managing a residential sober living house and later working in the field of addiction recovery. People in recovery often referred to him as the one who was always there when people were in need, the one who would always pick up the phone. He always saw the good in people and would not give up on anyone.

Another great passion of Jake's was his love for animals, particularly exotic animals and cats. In his life he owned foxes, a coyote, and various reptiles. His favorite bearded dragon, Pancake, even slept in bed with him at night. His love and care for animals led Jake to be a steadfast vegan, another practice that gave him great pride.

Jake was a family man. He was passionate about being an excellent father to his partner's children, and he worked very hard to provide for them and to be a good role model.

Unfortunately, Jake endured many struggles, both physically and emotionally. He had numerous spine surgeries and endured years of chronic pain and struggle. Throughout this, he continued to try to work to support himself and the people he loved — often to his own peril — having a serious work accident that really became life changing.

Even after being out of work for almost two years, Jake began to slowly work his way back into the world. He started going to the gym, taking walks, getting out in the world, feeling a little hopeful. He began aggressively tackling past demons in therapy, something that he had never felt safe doing before. But every time he felt like things were improving, there were setbacks, and the final emotional turmoil in his life became too much to bear. He simply could not endure another moment of the pain.

I loved him with all of my heart and will to my last day. We were in constant touch. I was his champion, I was his person, and he was mine.

Thank you all for loving Jake and for reflecting on his life. We hope that sharing memories here can offer some peace as you mourn.

— Jen Davis, his mom