As Jessie Way’s 32nd birthday approaches, her parents are asking the community not to mark the day with wishes of a “happy heavenly birthday,” but instead to honor their daughter by showing kindness to someone else.
Danette and Tray Way are encouraging friends, family and community members to pay it forward Friday, Sept. 4, by performing a random act of kindness in Jessie’s memory or saying a prayer for her children.
For the family, the request comes from a place of grief that remains fresh following Jessie’s death.
“This is not a happy occasion,” Danette Way wrote in a social media post ahead of her daughter’s birthday. “It is not a reason to celebrate or find joy. Losing her is still very real and raw. Our hearts remain shattered in pieces.”
Instead, she asked those thinking of Jessie as the day approaches to turn that remembrance outward.
“If you feel led to do something, say a prayer for her children or perform a random act of kindness in her name,” she wrote.
Jessie was 31 when she died following a crash involving a driver who authorities allege was impaired. She leaves behind her children, family, friends and a community that has continued finding ways to support those she left behind.
Earlier this year, that support took the form of the Live Like Jessie Adult Prom & Benefit at The Grill in downtown Manning. The event incorporated some of the things Jessie loved — dressing up, dancing and plenty of sparkle — while raising money to help with her children’s education expenses.
The “Live Like Jessie” message now carries into what would have been her 32nd birthday, though her parents are asking that the day be approached differently — not as a celebration of a birthday Jessie is no longer here to experience, but as an opportunity to put something good into the world in her name.
The act does not have to be large. Paying for someone’s coffee, helping a neighbor, offering a meal, leaving an encouraging note or simply extending kindness to someone who needs it can all serve as ways to remember her.
Those who feel compelled to share what they did are invited to post their acts of kindness in the comments of The Manning Times’ Facebook post for this story.
For Danette and Tray Way, the heart of the request is simple: Remember Jessie, remember her children and, on Sept. 4, pass a little kindness along in her name.
