Jacob Daniel Eckstein was a very much loved son, brother and friend and will be missed by all who knew him. He died unexpectedly from sudden cardiac arrest. Jacob was the son of Nancy Brule and Terry Eckstein, and stepson of Arthur Terry. He resided in Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota the majority of his life until he went off to college. He often returned to live with his mother and stepfather in Rock Creek, MN during the summers when there were breaks in his schooling and teaching schedule and he enthusiastically breathed the fresh air, stood in the pastures commenting on the beautiful breeze and open spaces, worked with the animals, drove the tractor, built many miles of fencing, and ate us out of house and home! He engaged in life enthusiastically and with great passion and everything he encountered he saw the good in, the reality of life in, and he accepted people for who they were and without judgment. He would always go the extra mile to bless others and gave his possessions away many times over to those he saw with a need (he went through many coats!). He embraced a life of minimalism and often carried all of his possessions in his backpack. Of course, his beloved books were downloaded onto his computer or kindle and were always with him.
Jacob was a scholar of life and he was fascinated with history, religion, politics and culture and how this all played together in creating social systems within society. Jacob was a talented writer who created satirical cartoons strips about topics such as poverty, gender issues, religion, and the daily struggles of life. He wrote short stories reflecting his deep understanding of human nature -- never judging others but seeking to explain and understand people's behaviors. He accepted people for who they were and where they were at and was always willing to support, help, and encourage. He loved life, all the deep layers of it and sought to understand the complexity and multidimensional aspects of it...he understood that things were never black or white but beautifully messy and intertwined...and his life was a tapestry of colors that meshed to create his beautiful soul.
Jacob had an amazing sense of humor, a sharp wit and sarcastic playfulness that was evident to all who came in contact with him. He loved to argue, debate and discuss the opposite viewpoint regardless of his own personal beliefs -- just to engage with others and challenge their own belief systems. Jake was a constant storyteller, a performer of life -- and he gave life his all. If you were loved by Jake -- he loved you deeply and unconditionally and offered you the joy of who he was. He had a pure heart, generous nature and sensitive spirit; Jacob was unique and a special child of God. He fought for what was right and just and he made many trips to Washington DC to participate in marches and protests - he was truly one-of-a-kind.
He had an overwhelming love and sensitivity for animals and embraced each of them as if it was his own responsibility to cherish them. He cared for each animal he encountered as a special creation from God that was to be treasured and protected and cared for. He loved the dogs he owned over the years, Spikey, Lizzy, Sophie, and Thomas and cared for the goats and their babies on the farm each spring as if they were his own special calling. He would walk for miles outside with the animals, visiting them in the pastures, building impromptu shelters, petting and feeding them and talking to them. He was at home and highly pleased when he could bring comfort and joy to animals and they loved him in return. He was particularly deeply troubled by animal cruelty and homeless animals and he had no patience for anyone who abused or misused an animal.
Our dear Jacob struggled with alcoholism and while he fought hard to overcome his addiction to alcohol he went through the cycles of on-off again sobriety. He had returned home from China 8 months prior to deal with his struggle with alcoholism and his tendency to try to quit "cold turkey and on his own" was starting to take a toll on his body. Most recently, while living on the farm for six months, he had maintained his sobriety, attending meetings and working hard to develop a plan to handle his addiction when he went back to China; he was so anxious to get back to China and had little patience for the wait. He was emotionally and spiritually in a good place and he felt he was ready to go back. When he returned to China he struggled with the time zone difference and for weeks was unable to sleep, he was unable to stomach the often spicy food and thus began a cycle of no sleeping and no eating and he started to lose weight very fast and grew very weak. As he often did when he couldn't sleep, he began to use alcohol at night as a way to try to get to sleep. Although he continued to teach and fulfill his duties, his physical health was rapidly deteriorating and we were contacted that he needed to come home as the people he worked with were very concerned about his health; a plane ticket had been purchased for him to return to the US on Aug 13th but he would never have the opportunity to use it. From the reports we received about his last two days in China, and as best as we can piece together from messages, after about two weeks he must have begun drinking again. He then fought to regain his sobriety and made the decision to abruptly stop drinking again - and in his weakened state, his body could not handle the physical stress and shock. We talked with him frequently during the last two days of his life and he seemed tired and weak, but happy in what he was doing. He was determined to stay in China and do what he needed to do to quit drinking. On the day he died, he was finished teaching his classes and was laying down and resting in the center, but before he fell asleep he sent us a final audio WeChat message which ended up being his last message to us; we received it about an hour before he died. He sounded good -- he sounded peaceful...he told us "he was working hard, he was tired, he was happy, life was good, Barb (his boss) was amazing, and he loved us..." An hour later he was found unconscious in his classroom and they began CPR on him but he never regained consciousness. He died in China, the country he loved; he died doing what he loved and he died with people who cared deeply about him.
Knowing what happened does not make the loss of our dear son any easier, and with any tragic and senseless death of one so young the doubt and recriminations and "I should have's" crowd the mind when the heart takes a brief pause from breaking...but we take comfort in knowing that he continued to fight hard to overcome his drinking and if his body had survived this last cycle I do believe he would have been successful. It is important to remember that his drinking was not the focus of his life -- it was one aspect of his life that he struggled with to overcome. He remains our precious son and our hearts break at losing him - not hearing his laugh, his sarcastic comments, not seeing his gentleness and love for life -- there is a hole and a void in the lives of all who knew him. But he won at life -- because he lived it and he lived it well and all of us who were touched by him are better for having had the opportunity to love him back.
The times he spent with us were precious and he would get a great sense of irony out of the fact that he now does not have to pay back his student loans...I am sure a four lettered word would accompany that exclamation! He got to spend most of his life in school doing what he loved most - studying! He obtained a BS in English from the University of Nebraska, an MA in Communication Studies from Minnesota State University-Mankato, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. He was a writer, satirical cartoonist and lifelong educator and had taught at The Penn State University, Bryan-Stratton in Virginia, the University of Maryland, Shaoyang University in China, and had just accepted a permanent position in China teaching at the Shaoyang Delesi Center for English Education. He was a gifted writer and teacher who loved engaging students. He was known for his sharp and humorous wit and intelligence, his love of cultural, political, religious and historical discussions, and his energy and passion for life which he lived with compassion and care for others.
Jacob and his beloved dog Thomas will be laid underneath a maple tree on the farm he loved. A private memorial service will be held in October when the leaves are golden, the air is cool and fresh and a light breeze is blowing...he will be at rest...
We love you Jake.
