Jeffrey Jonathan Kemmish

KEMMISH, Jeffrey Jonathan

My son, Jeffrey, died on Wednesday, the 23rd of February, ending an eight year struggle with pain, disability, and depression because of injuries sustained from a 48 foot fall in March of 2003 which he miraculously survived.
Jeffrey worked every day with valor, motivation, and strength to fight through the pain and have a normal life. In the past few years the monumental pain he suffered daily, attempts through doctors, medication, and therapy to dispel, finally became too much to overcome and he ended his life.
His final message: "To my friends and family whom I've loved, today I end my pain. I fell eight years ago and have never stopped hurting. I'm sorry I'm weak but a soldier knows his limits and I am at mine. I love you, never forget Jeffrey Jonathan Kemmish."
Jeff was a soldier fighting to save animals; an inspiration to his entire family and to dozens of friends. So many hands and hearts touched him in the effort to save his life after the fall in 2003. Months followed with therapies to re-learn how to move his shattered limbs which required numerous surgeries to give him a chance to walk. He endured all of this with more courage and determination than anyone I have ever known.
Without a single complaint, he set to work with all his might to recover, and he lived, walked, and talked against all odds because of the fiber of character that made him Jeff. He worked hard to recover his missed months from school with the help of teachers and friends and returned to Mt Spokane High School the following September, excelling in his studies.
He spent time in college at Eastern and decided, after a couple of years, to take a break and go to work at a job involving animals. This was a lifelong dream of his and a way to give something back to the community that was his home. He was active in the community promoting animal welfare spending time rescuing animals and finding homes for them. His strong passion for animals was a comfort to him and compelled him to act as often as he could to protect them. My sisters, who loved Jeff as their own, his sister and brother and I are hoping, with the help of the community, to transform the property where Jeff was originally injured to create a memorial dog park.
I welcome any dialog about the dog park project, any advice about how to accomplish this as well as any memories others who knew Jeffrey please send e-mail messages to ourjeffrey@yahoo.com. Also, an account for Jeff is set up under Our Jeffrey Memorial at Spokane Teacher's Credit Union.
Jeffrey strived to make a difference in his short life and we are motivated to continue his legacy to promote the love of animals. This could be the beginning of a positive community effort to eliminate the menace of the retaining wall currently accessible to children to this day that is the wall outside the fence surrounding this vacant lot on North Division near the Y.
Still, children have been reported playing in this lot and "walking the wall", even as young as eight years old. It is imperative that we prevent further disasters.
Our deep felt thank you goes out to everyone who has shown support and love for Jeff, my family, and I.
Jackilyn Kemmish