Dr. Jason J. Bottoms

Dr. Jason Joseph Bottoms passed away on March 23, 2012. We are all shocked and devastated. Jason was born in Naples on April 27, 1978. He began life in a big way weighing over 11 pounds. We joked that he looked like the baby in charge lying next to the small newborns. He lived his life in charge of his own destiny even when he was diagnosed with diabetes at 6yrs old he never let obstacles keep him from any goal he set. At the age of 10 he announced to his mom he was going to be a doctor. Each goal he attempted always began at the zero level and with sheer determination he would begin getting awards for "Most Improved" whether it was sports or academics. Ultimately he was awarded "The Best" or "MVP" in any goal he set. Eventually he would become the leader in every situation. Each time he astounded us with his accomplishments we would have our zero to hero conversations. He was our "superman". When his younger sister Tara asked for advice he gave his advice in the form of quotes from various superman movies. She would marvel at his wisdom and he would proceed to tell her it was from Smallville. He lived his life constantly striving to become the best at anything he did. He was raised in St. Petersburg. He attended Lynch Elementary, Meadowlawn Middle and the CAT program at Lakewood High School where he played football. He made the all county team and went on to play football at Widener University in Pennsylvania. He attended Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine & Surgery and was the speaker at his graduation. He had reached his goal of becoming a doctor. He practiced at Ankle Foot Center. He was one of the pioneers in the Tampa Bay area with the use of the new ankle implant devices and was currently serving as the president of the county society. He was selected to travel to Russia to study devices there. Jason had met his soul mate Jessica Bruns. He loved her so much. He had been shopping for engagement rings last week and planning their future together. In his journey he had reached so many accomplishments, made tons of lifelong friends and earned a mountain of awards. His mother Constance Tindell, her husband Johnny "polar ice", his sisters Tara and Ann Tindell, his father Jim Bottoms and his wife Debbie, his brother Andrew, his aunt Robin Mozingo and her daughters Megan and Erin, his aunt Christine Schiro and her daughters Amber, Julie and Carly, his aunt April Slonaker her husband Roger and their sons Bobby and Bryan and all of the extended families gathered many times to celebrate his graduations, awards and his graduation from medical school. We are all honored to be his family and so very proud of him. He is a light, a beacon which will continue to show us a better way to live. Sadly we gather one last time to celebrate his life, please join us at Memorial Park 5750 49th St N St Petersburg on March 31 at 1:00 pm. Flowers, cards, donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation http://www.jdrf.org/ or just be there to celebrate a man who constantly strived to be a better man even though he was the best. Recently he said "mom, I'm the most fortunate man in the world! I absolutely love what I do for a living. Every day I can't wait to get to work."