Have to admit when Jake was a very young lad I want to say 8-10 years old I was highly impressed with the little dude as he had nerves of steel.we were at Big South Fork hiking with his father and friends For some reason we bush whacked off the beaten path and found our selves in a mess to get back on track. On a bluff poundering our best and safest route to get back on trail easiest way was down about a 60 ft ledge. I had climbing gear and set up the rappell. Little Jake was eager and willing to go over the edge. Rigged him up clipped him onto the rope and with out hesitation that little cat shot off the side of that bluff like it was natural to him. I was impressed as it usualy it takes a lot of encouragement and coaching to get someone to back off the ledge for the first time they ever rappeled. He was a natural.

So I lay here awake of thinking of all the memories I have to share of Jake. He was such a huge part of my 20's and beyond. Megan worded how we met perfectly. I was a big part of Megan and Jake finally got together and puppies connected Megan and my friendship. Being new to EKU and Richmond I was nervous. I was living alone in Richmond and wasn't the best cook. From day one Jake always invited me for family dinner. It became a weekly event several times a week. This meant the world because I am not the greatest cook and cooking for 1 was always hard.  He always included me and never made me feel like the third wheel. We had adventures on the road and sleepovers, amazing that 3 people could comfortably sleep in a full size bed and not fall off. After moving to Seattle I didn't get to come home as much. The phone calls came and went but when we did talk we laughed and chatted for so long. It was like time never passed. I always know that he wanted to check in and make sure I was okay. I am so glad that the last time I saw him he was able to meet my Jake and play music with him on the same stage. I always said that I had to get Jacob's approval for anyone I dated, and he did. Jake was more than a best friend but like the brother I never had. I will always here him giggle and call me Toodledirt!

So I’m not really sure where to begin with this reflection of my memories of my brother in arms Jake. I guess it all started off one day in class at EKU. There I was a new student in an unfamiliar town. I was just like Jake a student who played too much learning along the way about what people, life, and academia were all about in our own unique way.  I’m not sure if he found me or I found him, any who it does not matter, because we were instantly united forever.

We never wanted to be tied down by schedules and demands of what society expected us to do.  So as older than normal students we went through the Aquatic Biology program at EKU side by side. I could not even begin to count the nights that Megan had to listen to me and Jake dork out on one random topic or the other, while I did my laundry at their place. I’d either bury Mosita or Megan in a hot ass pile of clean clothes fresh out the dryer. That would do the trick for a bit!  I have never met anyone so gifted in the art of the dichotomous key.  I’m serious he just got it. After meeting his mother, I know why.  All the hikes we went on chasing down and ID’ing everything in sight or grasp he had the gift. The world was ours to figure out the complexities of it interactions. So many philosophical scientific debates were had late nights and early mornings. We helped each other learn so dang much.  So on and on I go.

One night while cramming for our Aquatic Wetland Plants final with Ron Jones there we were. It was about 3ish in the AM in the Moore building. Hot as hell. We have the ipod plugged into the loudest desktop speakers we could find. Moving from specimen to specimen, trying to figure out our ways to differentiate them. I mean so hot shirts off rocking out hot! Just two total freaks getting it, dancing, shucking, and jiving to our own special grove! I mean seriously, would you expect anything less? Well that’s how we learned. Now low and behold here comes Dr. Cupp the Herpetology professor strolling into the building at 3ish AM to write his final. We have no clue he is there, at the same time he had no clue we would be there. What a freak! So all he does is stick his head into the room and state, “You all got this.”  No comment about the music or why we are half naked. What an interesting night.

So this brings me to the night Megan discovered Florida monkeys. So there the three of us were heading down to Langarado Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We are making it to South Florida in one run with three drivers, no stops, for the most part. Megan took the first leg of the journey; she made it to somewhere/nowhere Georiga. Then Jake took over. The whole time we are pounding Rock Star energy drinks like it has been banded. Then I take over somewhere in central Florida. We arrive at my parents’ house in Wellington, Florida about an hour from our final stop. I’m wired and the love birds are well rested. My parents have this full breakfast spread prepared for us, fresh fruit and all.  Well-fed and all, on to Langardo we go once again! I show up exhausted and just want to sleep for a bit, after we check to the condo. Well, there is Jake so no chance of that, we got to go to the show now! So a 32oz Rockstar pounded in the parking lot of a 7/11 we are there. It turns out to be one of the best festivals I have ever been to! So we make it back to the condo in that sweet, sweet silver station wagon and sack out. 

Next thing I know Megan is flipping out, “Hey guys wake up there are monkeys outside the window!” Me and Jake exchange the look of bullshit. She goes on, “no seriously, there are monkey outside the fucking window!” So I crawl over Jake and look and holy shit there are monkeys outside the window! I yell at Jake, “Seriously, there are monkeys outside the window!”  Jake springs out so fast it is not even funny. Megan is instantly pissed because how fast he reacted to what I said, not her. Love her.

Turns out our condo was next to a nature preserve. During the 60’s a hurricane hit the local zoo and some monkeys survived and decided to reproduce in the preserve. So, the few lucky visitors who decided to stay at this condo have the unknowing opportunity to interact with this monkey population. Only Jake would randomly find us a place that we would be able to feed bananas to monkeys every morning of our stay! Seriously, that’s how Jake worked---he found magical places by accident. Love you forever brother.

She told us, "I'd live in a van with Jake, if I could have him " I want to think about that every day, I want to love like that every day. They were obviously soulmates, they obviously belong to one another.

"The fonze" a big, wonderful part of our team at RTR 

   I cherish the time he filled my heart with a song he had written about my father who had recently passed. 

I remember when we lived in Mccreary County and Mark and Juanita brought Jake, who was about three years old, to visit us. We were raising chickens at the time, and Jake just loved chasing them. He kept calling them "becker, beckers", and I thought he was the cutest little boy I'd ever seen. We were so fortunate to have watched Jake grow from that precious little boy into a very loving, talented, and caring young man. He will forever be a part of the wonderful memories we've shared with the Wigginton family and will never be forgotten.

Shared by Mark Leopold
I remember from the earliest days Jake's love for the outdoors. I especially remember his wide-eyed, happy smile when Mark brought him on his first winter hiking trip at the Big South Fork in Tennessee. Temperatures and terrain were tough but he couldn't have been any happier. He fit right in with the "big guys". He showed his love for the outdoors with this same enthusiasm at every picnic, canoe trip, or campout with his family and friends. Jake truly enriched our lives!

Two separate years Jake went out of his way to text me to let me know it was Megan's birthday. He wanted me to reach out to her in any way that I could just to help make her day a little more special. I know that he did it one year we were living in Richmond and one year when we were living in a Lexington. This is just a small example showing what type of fella Jake was. And he loved  his lady and always wanted her to be happy❤️

The love that these two shared will always be an unparalleled love without a doubt.

Jake was my first love. He was always so kind to me, even though he was infinitely cooler and could have just laughed at my giant crush on him. He introduced me to punk music and Adam Sandler movies. He was a wonderful canoeing partner. He was hilarious and so smart. I loved the relationship he had with his precious sisters. It's hard to put into words how much I admired him. I'm so grateful for the times we had together, as few and far between as they were. <3

Megan and I went down to Asheville to visit our friends Candice and Travis. The first night we saw a great YMSB show where we danced the Ky Taco all night. The next day Jake met us down there. Him and BennyV went to a brewery while Megan, Candice, Jenny, and I made fun of them on their 'bromance date' for hours. Later that night, after dinner and more dancing to a bluegrass bar band, we all walked back to Candices house. On the way there we found Appliance Alley. It was this dark back alley from the bar to Candice's that, I kid you not, was lined with old refrigerators and ovens and stoves. Hundreds of them! The weirdest thing ever! I remember looking back and Jake had his head in one of the freezers and said something about looking for pizza rolls or hot pockets (I can't remember exactly). It was that humor that I loved most about him. Always making people smile and laugh. He was a brother to me. He'd be mad with me when I was mad about a guy just the same as he'd be happy when I was happy. He didn't want to see anyone hurt  He truly loved his friends. No love was truer than the love that he shared with Megan tho. It was a love that I promised myself I'd find too one day. The way they danced and laughed and flirted and jokingly picked at each other was something we should all strive to find. It was the most undeniable love I've ever seen and I feel so blessed to have watched it grow the way it did. It's a love that will never fade away. Ever. What a wonderful guy we all knew. I feel the world is darker without him in it, but still ever so bright because of his memory. Nothin left to do but smile smile smile 

Jake was a talented musician and wonderful songwriter! I'll always remember the jams at our houses and the open Mic sessions he hosted. I'll never forget when Megan would sit with us and belt out some good ol Janis.

I was always impressed with his bottomless pit of song lyrics. We were constantly working up new tunes that he would bring to the table, and he worked hard on learning bluegrass guitar rhythm so we could play some traditional banjo tunes and trade solos. When my bluegrass band broke up, I had started to lose my drive to play banjo and Jake was always there to push me into playing and continue to keep my fingers loose.

I was honored, along with John and Jake's cousin, to provide the wedding music as he and Megan joined their souls in marriage. The love they shared was obvious to everyone. Their easy going and silly sense of humors always brightened my day.

Jake, you were a great great man and touched many people with your warm personality. Gonna miss ya bud.

Megan being one of my daughter Paula's best friends, has been a part of our "love" family for many years.  I got to watch with delight as she grew from a spindly adolescent to a full grown woman with a zeal for life and a spirit larger than most of the world can understand.  A natural beauty, Megan always attracted the opposite sex and as she and Paula traversed their college years I watched as many a handsome and talented young man saught in vain for a mere glimpse of her soul.  Then Jake...

From the first encounter of them together the magic was evident.  The mixture of her sweet to his silly, her wild to his adventure and her passion to his depth were like peices of the same puzzle that had finally found home and and fused together in a "oneness" that leaves most of the world longing.  I count it as a blessing that I was even a casual observer of phenomenon...

Strength, Peace and most of all Love to all in the greive of this trememdous loss. 

It's truly a magical thing to watch someone fall in love.  I was blessed to get to see my best friend find her soul-mate in Jake.  And it wasn't difficult, and it wasn't dramatic, and it wasn't demanding like some young relationships can be.  It was easy.  Homey and comfortable right from the start. 

It's been echoed on here that Jake had a way of making you feel accepted and loved from the moment you met him, and my experience with him was no different.  "I love you more than a toaster, but slightly less than an ottoman," became our hellos and goodbyes.  Fill in the blank with whatever ridiculous object would make the other one laugh.   

In thinking about what to say about Jake, and the imprint he left on my heart, I came across this poem, the words of which I think he embodied nicely - especially in the way he loved Megan. 

Let Me Be Love

Not the Shiny, perfectly worded, flashy and flowery love that comes and goes with special occasions, or when it's convenient.

Let me be the messy, genuine, put in the effort, feel it in your bones, come as you are, kind of love.

Let me be the Show Up kind of love that is found where it is least expected and when it is most needed.

Let me be the mountian-moving type of love that offers hope and makes growth possible. 

Let me be the kind of love that silences hate talk, breaks down barriers, and cannot be contained by chains or cages.

Let me be the unonditional love that rises with the sun and stretches beyond annoying quirks, bad habits, and human failings.

Let me be the wholly accepting love that makes for a soft place to lay one's head - for both the giver and the reciever.

Let Me Be Love.

- R. Stafford

There was a time when my daughter cassidy was a baby and I didnt have a car at the time. Megan and Jake were baby sitting for us and Jake came to pick me up from work. It was raining that day and the car they had at the time was a white one, i believe Jake had gotten from his dad, but the wipers didnt work completely. So Jake had a dog leash hook to the driver side wiper so when the motor pulled the wipers down he had to pull them back up all while driving. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen but it worked. 

Jake, the “bowtie killer” hahaha. If you’ve ever stepped foot in our organization you’ve heard it… “We are Positive!” Jake was all that stood for. Having Jake in our organization was an addition of brightness, an addition of strength, an addition of positivity. Even in a struggle, Jake kept that smile. Jake only made time for what was good. He’d let you know in a minute that you weren’t allowed to steal his shine, and nothing ever did. I admire the strength of Jake, Megan, and their whole crew. Every morning meeting we will think of how we would teach new people door knocking techniques and he’d show them his “jaunt” and make it look fun, even though we all know it isn’t. We will always think of how he’d remind us “It’s the 2000’s guys” We will hear him laughing with us every day. We laughed a lot, I will miss “making it rain” with you Jake and I’ll never forget the time we snuck our beverages into the Dixie Stampede. Hehehe! There are countless customers that will remember you because you treated them all like family, because you treated everyone that way. You we’re our family from day 1, we all miss you and think of you often but we won’t sit around pouting because you were always one to avoid negativity, and we want you all around us until we meet again and we get to hear your voice finish “We are… And “One Team…

We had met up in Asheville to see Yonder. I had only planned on staying for the first night, but he logically explained why it was in my best interest to stay an additional night. Something in the way he explained that I can work anytime but that show, on that night, was where i really belonged, with him.

We headed out to Chillicothe, IL, Three Sisters Park for my birthday festy. We camped the first two nights and on the third day (Sunday) a tornado making kind of storm rolled onto the festival. Some hippies running for the trees, some to their cars, others just hunkered down. We managed to get our group together and make it to a Motel 6. Everyone took showers and cleaned up found ourselves having a thanksgiving type spread at a nearby restaurant, giving thanks that our loved ones were around us. The next day was Memorial Day, we made it back to the festival, Moe, Keller Williams, Oteil and the Peacemakers and Jazz Mandolin Project had stayed an extra day to give us the best Monday show in music history. The last song of KW set was Perpendicular Teeth, one of our most favorite jams to dance to…

Always one to appreciate the qualities in people. One of the most selfless people I've ever known. I will remember Jake as very funny, very intelligent. Patient, generous, considerate, optimistic ; all of the level I strive to achieve. I did not know Jake for many years, but I will forever appreciate the dynamic being like the big brother that I never had.

His bond with Megan - something I've never seen before; Something I am fortunate to have been able to see.

My strongest memory of Jake is for some reason his observation of coffee I made one morning. Drinking it anyway ( because he would never be rude, and we are both made of coffee ), ‘ oh my God. It's like oil. I think there are dinosaur bones floating around the bottom’. I laughed and still do thinking about it because, to me, it puts in a nutshell his… experience it, have fun with it, and make someone around you smile attitude. I never knew him to take any other approach

I worked with Megan and heard so many funny, zany stories about her and Jacob, it was only till I saw them together and spent time with them that they like peanut butter and jelly, cookies and milk, bert and ernie, and so on..two birds of a feather...nobody I have ever known was their love that in sync...to have that and to always have that is a gift..that will always be there for you...the one time they did come over and Jacob took his shoes off and his sick had two big holes in it we laughed about it, I asked him you should get rid of those socks he said why??? Ha why indeed...all my love and strength to you megs,,,