Jordan William Gilford

Jordan William Gilford passed from this life on May 12, 2024 at the age of 18.
Jordan was born to Carl Gilford and Stephanie Renner on July 23, 2005 in Lexington, Kentucky. The family moved to Louisville in 2011. Jordan was a graduate of the Francis Parker School of Louisville's Goshen Campus (formerly Saint Francis School) and of Ballard High School.
Jordan was a brilliant, vibrant soul with a healthy dose of stubbornness. He was incredibly passionate and had a remarkable ability to connect with others. Adults, in particular, always walked away from conversations with him amazed by his intellect, charm, and wit. His friends always speak of his beautiful smile and his infectious laugh. What they remember most, though, is his deep compassion and desire to help others. He volunteered his home regularly to people who needed a temporary refuge (both with and without the permission of his mom).
Jordan could amaze you with his depth and passion. When he found something he loved - which ranged over the years from Thomas The Train, Cubing Competitions, Yu-Gi-Oh, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Family Guy, politics, to one of his many other passions - he would dive deep to learn all there was to know and given the chance, impart all of his new found knowledge to anyone who would listen. What carried through all these phases of interests were his real loves - music and gaming. It is a family joke that at just 4 years old when they got their first Wii, Jordan beat everyone at bowling and within only a few weeks had beaten the entire Star Wars Lego game. As for music, he may have been on of the few kids born in 2005 who knew all the words and choreography to every New Edition song, listed Midnight Star as one of his favorite bands (No Parking On The Dance Floor was a particular favorite), and could have challenged Michael Jackson to a competition for best rendition of Rock With You.
Jordan spent the first almost three years of his life as an only child and grandchild and his best friend in the world was his Nana Gayle. The two of them had a bond that could never be replaced. He was soon joined, however, by a little brother and three cousins in pretty rapid succession and over the years, the 5 of them grew to be a tight knit group who loved each other fiercely.
Blessed with 2 phenomenal grandmothers, Jordan also had a special bond with his grandma Sara that grew even stronger as he got older. They share a keen intellect and understanding of how to communicate with each other that would make most people envious.
Even surrounded by tremendous love and encouragement, Jordan suffered from the sometimes debilitating disease of mental illness. He wanted nothing more than to overcome it and was privileged to have many resources to help him do so, but sometimes the world is too hard and the weight of it is too heavy for people at a particular time and in a particular place. Jordan's family and friends are deeply saddened that he came to this time and place and didn't see another way out. They all had so much hope for who he could be in the world and couldn't wait to see him fulfill his dream of becoming a history teacher and changing the ways that schools teach and reach students.
Jordan is survived by his parents, Stephanie Renner, Carl Gilford, and Erin Weisenbach; his brother, Trevor Gilford; his maternal grandmother Gayle Renner; his paternal grandmother Sara Gilford, and his paternal grandfather Martin Carl Gilford (Sylvia). He is also survived by his aunts Amanda Hammons (Lucas) and Danielle Johnson (Chris), and 4 cousins: Abigayle Hammons, Tucker Hammons, Layla Hammons, and Luke Johnson. Additionally, he is survived by his step-grandparents Mark and Kathy Weisenbach, 10 step-aunts and uncles, and 11 step-cousins. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Tim Renner.
Jordan's family's wish is that you talk to your family and friends about their mental health without shying away from any topic, including but especially suicide. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that you make memorial donations in honor of Jordan to The Trevor Project and/or The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.