Jacob & Kelsey O.
I’ve only met Jake and Daniel a handful of times in person and the fact that not an hour has passed since the news of Jake, that I haven’t thought about both of them, speaks about the people they are. In 2019 my mom and I met Jake and Daniel at a family style dinner at The Corson building in Seattle, where we had the fortune of sitting across from them. Before we sat with them, my mom had commented from afar on how dashing they were (and well dressed), and it turned out that their hearts were just as stunning. It felt serendipitous that I met them that night, and that meeting lead to some of the most lasting life memories. They started talking to me and my mom, asking genuine questions about us and our lives (which strangers rarely do) and their smiles and warmth gave off the most authenticity I’ve ever experienced that quickly.
This seems like a trite fact but in the months leading up to meeting them, I had been hunting for a unique dinner experience for my only sister’s bachelorette party. After getting to know them they told us about My Little White House and that they were experimenting with hosting dinners. I remember them looking at each other and then at us and smiling and then offering to put on a dinner for my sister. It was the most magical outdoor dinner I’ve ever seen, let alone been able to give my sister, and by far more than I could have imagined while I was searching the internet. It didn’t exist until them. My sister and I and her 15 friends all cried when we arrived to the beautiful experience they created. All of her friends still talk about that night and Jake and Daniel, and most of those girls messaged us when they heard this news, because he has that ability to make a lifelong impression on everyone he meets, even if it’s just for a few hours. I’ve been lucky to spend time with Jake at a few other events and I’m always left with the thought that I’ve never met anyone kinder and more genuine.
It’s so clear in the messages and outpouring, from the thousands of lives that Jake has impacted, that his love and spirit has a domino effect and will be rippling through all those he loved and who love him, indefinitely. He has made and will continue to make the world better and people kinder to each other. The heaviness of this loss for Daniel and his closest people is unimaginable, and simultaneously they are always carrying the light and goodness that Jake has brought the world. So much love to all of you.
