MEMORIES OF JERRY
SELF
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Jerry, I didn't know
you, but knew of you. There's one in every class from Lamar, the one we
all want to succeed and to be friends with. I praise you for what you did
in your short life and all I can say is gone too soon. Now you are in the
Valhalla. The Lord Blessed you and he will always keep you.
In his
name,
To the parents and family
of Jerry Don Self,
I did not know Jerry Don nor did I know who he was before Thursday morning,
but I feel as though I know a lot about Jerry after reading the newspaper
articles, watching the television and reading the e-mail on this web site.
I know that you must be very proud of Jerry and for what his life
meant to his family and to his friends. He must have been a very
caring person and an inspiration to many people.
I have cried a river of tears over the tragedy that occurred in College
Station this past week. I hope that the memory of Jerry and all he
meant to you give you strength and courage and bring you comfort.
May God bless you and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with
you and all of the other families touched by this senseless tragedy.
We often wonder why
One was taken away
so young
When it seem that
Their life had only
just begun.
"Why?" we demand
of God.
"Why did you take
him away?
Why couldn't you
leave him
Here with us?
Didn't you know we
needed
Him to stay?"
All these many questions
Running through our
hearts
How horrible it seems
The world all torn
apart.
Now we stand here
grieving
For the one we loved
and lost
The world is cloaked
in darkness
Our hearts as cold
as frost.
And yet a light still
shines
Tender, warm, and
dear.
It flows from friends
and family
Who lovingly show
they care.
Helping to send all
the pain and fear
Away to Heaven with
a prayer.
But soon the hurt
and anger
Fade away and are
gone.
For we know your
watching over us
Helping to carry
on.
Shining all your
love on us
Working to heal our
hearts
Telling us you'll
never really
Be gone, that death
is not
Forever do us part.
Because of the love
and life
We've shared with
you.
You'll always be
in our hearts.
Erin McPherson, ZIMMERDICK@aol.com
11/20/99
In loving memory of
Jerry Don Self
and the others lost
in the tragedy
of ATM.
Being part of the
large circle of friends that surrounded the Self family, my husband and
I had the opportunity to watch Jerry grow up into a wonderful young man.
From the early days of the annual New Years Party at the Self's to the
recent water volleyball games in our back yard, Jerry has been a part of
our life. We watched as he graduated from Lamar and transitioned
to a young college kid at A & M. We are so proud of his accomplishments
and what he made of his life. He lived his life to the fullest and
probably did more in his short lifetime to help others than most people
do in their entire life. He will be missed so much by those of us
that loved him.
We can only be thankful
that we had the opportunity to now him and have him touch our
lives. As we
prepare for the months to come, we thank everyone that has been there for
his family. It just proves how much Jerry meant to so many people.
Jerry, you will always be the best volleyball player that ever graced our
pool and the biggest heart that ever graced our lives. We love you
and miss you.
Jerry has come to me
to get his haircut for about 4 years. Beau Riley introduced him to me the
first time and I always thought of them as the dynamic duo. They would
always come together and if Beau ever came in without Jerry, he was bound
to hear about it later! Whether Jerry came alone or with Beau, he was always
short on time because he always
something to do involving
friends. He was very social. But he always made time to socialize with
me and my husband. He never came in once without asking about my 4 yr.
old son and my dad
and the rest of my family. He was one of the most caring kids I ever met.
I don't know what it was but every time Jerry walked through the barbershop
door my face lit up and I couldn't help but smile and give him a big hug!
I was eating lunch about 2 weeks ago at Monis and in walked Jerry. He sat
and talked with me until I was done and then walked me back to the barbershop
to get his hair cut. That was the last
time I saw Jerry.
He told me he would see me over the holidays. Me and my husband were
totally devastated
to hear the news. I really missed Jerry when he went off to school. He
didn't get to make it in as often. Same with his friend Beau. But I would
always keep up with him through the Riley family or through big Mike. Michael
came to me also. Jerry always picked on his brother and teased him but
I know he loved him alot. I have never been so affected by someones death
before, not even in my family. I guess because he was so young and had
so much to offer. I can't comprehend why God would choose to take someone
from us that has so much to offer, it doesn't seem fair but I guess he
has a
plan for all of us
and at least he died doing what he loved... helping other people. He has
been the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think
of when I go to bed at night. I want to thank Beau for bringing Jerry's
family into our lives. We will never forget him and he will be in our hearts
forever and ever and I personally can't wait to see him in heaven someday.
WE LOVE YOU JERRY! YOU WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.
Although I did not know
Jerry, I clicked onto his tribute site and read all about all of the memories.
It was so encouraging. Last night I prayed that if any of the fallen
were Christians, that God would use their deaths to bring the living to
Him. It is obvious, after reading the letters, that Jerry placed
his faith in the Lord and will spend eternity in Heaven. Mr. and
Mrs. Self, please be encouraged that your son is has left such a remarkable
testimony. To others, if you have not allowed the Lord to be your
Savior, my prayer is that you will open up your hearts and allow the King
to speak to you.
I am very grateful for
the opportunity I had to meet Jerry in 1997 through Beau Riley. His
devotion to Beau was obvious; he would do anything for him -or for one
of Beau's friends. Once when I could not find a ride somewhere Jerry
came out of his way to help me. Jerry was quite the jokester, too.
For instance, on my birthday, it was raining really hard, and he was driving
in his big ole' truck and me in my little ole' car. He
proceeded (several
times, I might add) to position his truck so gallons of water would splash
up onto my car, to the point I could not even see! Only a person like Jerry
can pull off something like that, his light heartedness just made it funny.
Jerry's loyalty and compassion was obvious through the steadfast friendships
he offered to many, and those are the valuable attributes I strive for
today. From my view, Jerry took the initiative to look past people's
faults and see their hearts, and cared for the hearts he saw. He
was intriguing to so many, and drew people to come closer to him, to know
him more. Thank you, Jerry, for allowing your love of life and God
to be
light that TRULY
illuminates a room, and brighten the lives for those who know you.
To Jerry's parents (and family), and to the Riley's, know that many, many,
prayers are ferverntly being prayed for a shield of love and support to
surround you right now, and for God's love to be evident throughout your
time of need.
I don't know how to express
the pain that all of us are feeling. I am a junior at Texas A&M and
graduated from high school with Jerry. It is unbelievable to see how the
community in College Station has pulled together from this tragedy.
The memorial service at Reed on Thursday night made things set in.
In the beginning of the service, the Singing Cadets sang "The Spirit of
Aggieland". It sent chills through my whole entire
body. There
were over 15,000 people there to express thier grief to you and the other
eleven fellow Aggies
who passed in this accident. There are over twenty Aggie rings left
at the Bonfire site. I want you to know, Jerry, that there are 46,000
Aggies whose hearts and prayers are with you and the other eleven Ags who
are now in Heaven. May prayers and thoughts are with you always.
Jerry Self was a nice
kid. When he went to Church camp to be a counselor, he was always
cheerful and full
of joy. I thought he was the best counselor I ever had. On Thursday morning
when I woke up and saw what had happened at A&M on T.V., I didn't really
pay any attention to it, but when I came home from school and my dad asked
if I remembered Jerry, I knew right then and there that something had happened
to Jerry. When I found out about
what happened to
him, I was sad. I started crying. After that, I was sort of mad. I
wanted to know why,
why this has happened to him. As a student from A&M said, "There is
no magic word, magic phrase, or sentence that can stop all this." I feel
sorry for his family that lost him on Thursday. I just wish that this never
happened. He did what he wanted to do when he helped build the bonfire.
I'm sure he would of been proud if he was here with us today.
I had the honor and priveledge
of knowing Jerry Self since he was a freshman in the Corps. He originaly
was in a Squadron 13, but when I found out his outfit was going to be disbanded,
I instantly knew I wanted Jerry to come join our outfit. He brought so
much to
Squadron 17. He was
respectful, possesed a level head, humerous, and always willing to
go the extra mile
whenever asked of him (sometimes requiring a little extra motivation, but
he never complained) He always gave me a hard time about not being out
at Bonfire, and when I did show up he thought it was a miracle. He was
one of the hardest working individuals that I have ever known. The last
time I saw Jerry was about a week before his
death. He was playing
an intramural football game and it happened to be a little cold
outside. Jerry always
would wear these bright red long-john's underneath his shirt and shorts.
It was quite a site. He will be truly missed, but I know that he is in
Heaven at this moment!
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