John Patrick Herrera

John Patrick "Jack" Herrera Feb. 16, 1995 - Aug. 15, 2007 Jack Herrera left this earth on August 15, 2007, after a short but valiant fight against a deadly disease known as amoebic meningitis. He engaged this disease in typical Jack fashion-with humor, indomitable spirit and family and friends by his side. His last coherent words were a joke shared with the pilot of the helicopter flying him from Seton Highland Lakes Hospital in Burnet to Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin. In his twelve short years, Jack taught those around him the meaning of kindness and grace. He awoke with a smile and went to bed with a smile, every day of his life. He had an innate sense of right and wrong and if he saw injustice, whether on the street, the playground or in the hallways at school, he sought to correct it. Instead of using his size to bully other kids (he was five feet seven inches tall at age 12), he used it to encourage others to get along. Jack broke up fights, he didn't start them. Jack loved life and the simple, everyday things that he encountered. He loved sports, especially lacrosse and basketball, and he loved his many friends and his dogs, Lucy and Patrick. But above all, Jack loved his family. Not a single day went by that he did not tell his mom and dad-and any other family member lucky enough to cross his path that day-that he loved them. Left to mourn Jack's passing and honor his memory are his parents, Ray and Deidre Herrera, and sister Jessica, of Austin; maternal grandparents, LeRoy and Barbara Bergeron of Austin; paternal grandparents, Char and Bryan Sutherlin of Dallas; aunt, Susan Child and her husband Greg, and their children, Max, Mallory and Marc, of Austin; uncle, David Bergeron and his wife Jodi, and their daughter Kerri, of Austin; aunt, Laurie Sutherlin and her daughter Elle Moritz, of Dallas; and great grandmothers, Jane Lovett of Dallas and Helen Ferraro of Schenectady, New York. Jack also leaves behind friends too numerous to mention, although he will probably be mad at us for not doing so. The Herrera Family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Dell Children's Medical Center. Not only did they provide Jack with the best medical care possible, they did so in a loving and compassionate manner. As his final act of kindness, Jack became a donor so that a few other children will have a fighting chance to overcome the terrible afflictions that they face. There will be a viewing at Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills, 9700 Anderson Mill Road, Austin, Texas 78750, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 17. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 18, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to a memorial fund in Jack's name at the Town and Country Optimists club of Austin, 9100 Meadow Heath, Austin, Texas 78729. It is the family's hope that "Jack's Field" will be built with these donations. Although the earth seems a little less gentle and graceful since Jack's passing, Heaven is enriched beyond belief. And if they had not previously thought of it, it is a certainty that the angels are now choosing up sides for a lacrosse match. And there will be no arguing or fighting during the match-Jack will see to that.. http://www.mem.com