Obituary of Jared Thomas McQuillen Jr.

Hello everyone, on behalf of my family we would like to thank everyone for their tremendous support and generosity during this exceedingly challenging time. We will never get over this. A piece of our hearts is forever gone but we seek comfort in knowing we have love and support from you all. Jared was such a light in so many of our lives and will forever be missed. This world will certainly never be the same without him. Jared’s light first started when he entered this world with a bang. Our father always told us that Jared had my mom in labor for over 24 hours and screaming for an epidural, but it was too late. Mind you, my mother had both me and my older brother Jordan naturally, and in a bathtub, but she always said Jared was the hardest labor. Jared clearly wanted to make sure he was remembered, and was the child my dad and mom could never forget. From that day on, Jared’s contagious smile, his beautiful, kind blue eyes and his incredible heart have touched every single person he encountered. My dad and mom knew Jared was going to be special from an early age. One of my fondest memories as a child was anytime we would visit my dad in Charlotte, he would bribe us to do the things he wanted to do. For example, my dad loves the gym and the movies and he conditioned us to love them too. My dad would always say “ Gym first, then we go to the movies.” Some may say this was torture, but for us as kids it was our favorite thing to do. This is where Jared found his passion for MMA and wrestling. Jared had a natural talent for this and he always dreamed of making it into the UFC. He truly could have. My father and Jared spent years training together and my dad will forever miss his sparring partner. Jared was someone who loved animals, sometimes more than people. His passion for animals began as a child, growing up on our grandparent’s farm in Kentucky. My grandma always had us on a horse, taking care of chickens or cows, and had tons of cats and dogs. We even had a pet calf at one point. We would always make our dad take us to the pet store. We had so many guinea pigs, rabbits, and our sweet Buckus, who was really like our own horse. Jared had such a way with animals and was my biggest supporter when I decided to start fostering dogs. Jared lived with me and my husband David for a year and a half and I will forever be grateful for that time with him. He always had my back when I would bring another dog home. My first foster was our Siddy boy. After every meet and greet with a new family, I would cry to Jared and David. Jared would say to me, “Jenna, if you really want to keep Sid, I’ll help you with him.” He really pushed me to keep him, and I am so glad that he did. Sid passed away in May and it was extremely hard on Jared. I would like to think that Jared, our mom, Fran and Sid are running free and are never without each other. Jared was absolutely loved by all, and nothing would make my dad more proud than to be told how hard a worker Jared was and how respectful and kind he was. As most of you know, Jared was very handsome, and our aunt recalled that when he first moved to Long Island, the school called her saying “It’s like Justin Bieber just got here!” I spoke to Jared’s friends about this story, and they told me he even had to get a 5 minute pass just to get to class without all of the girls swarming him in the halls. I recently gave birth to my son in December. A December baby just like Jared. Since Luka was born, all I ever hear is “Wow, he looks just like Jared.” I would always get defensive and say “No, he looks like me.” Now, I will cherish every single time someone tells me my son looks like my brother, and I will make sure Luka grows up knowing how much his Uncle Jared loved him. I could sit and talk about all of the memories we have with Jared, and all the memories I will cherish forever, but the simple fact is that I planned to make so many more. I never envisioned life without my baby brother and now I have to learn to live without him. I planned to watch him become the man he dreamed to be, for him to meet a girl, to get married, to make me an aunt, and now he never will. To my brother Jordan, you have always protected me and Little J. We were never scared or worried for too long because we knew you would always be there. You were my rock through the loss of our mother, but you were Jared’s rock especially. Jared loved you so much, Jordan. I do not want you to ever forget that. To my dad, as a new mother I cannot even fathom the pain of losing my child and my heart aches for you. I wish so badly I could take this pain away from you, but I want you to know and always remember how much Jared loved you. You were his very own real life superhero. To my baby brother, if you can hear me, I want you to know how much I loved you. A piece of my heart is gone, and it will never return. I pray that you are with mom, nonnie, and our Siddy boy, and I pray that when I need you most you will show me that you are here. I really don’t know how I will live life without you, but I promise to live life for you and in memory of you. I love you so much, J. May you rest easy.