Jayvin Dana Jones

February 22, 2007 - October 26, 2026

Jayvin, Jayvin, Jayvin. How is it even a thing that we’re writing this right now? It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It wasn’t supposed to be us, our family. It wasn’t supposed to be you. But here we are, so let’s get to it. 

Oh, the day you were born! Your Mom (Amy) couldn’t have been happier to have you out and to make sure your father (Stephen, Jr.), and everyone else within ear shot, knew there would be no more. Nope, just one, just you. And there never was— not only in person form but certainly no one else like you. 

From the moment you were born, your cute little face and your sweet soul just loved all of the random assortment of various cats, dogs, and creatures brought home (Schmiegel, anyone??) including childhood companion Tigg and Bubba. You so easily made lifelong friends (Logan, Thomas, Cayden, Gage, Izaiah, Tucker, Ari Jean, and Emily, to name a few) and charmed the hearts of your grandparents (Dwight and Laura Denton, Jim and Mary Ellis, Russell Allen, and Stephen Jones, Sr. (d. October 23, 2014) from the moment they kissed your baby-face cheeks. Those who knew you will always remember you, for your persistent (sometimes annoying) humor, laughter, generosity and seemingly endless (and picky) appetite.

You always loved the water, it didn’t matter where it was or in what form or temperature. Jumping from the rocks at The Basin, swimming or tubing, Mema and Poppa’s pond, playing on the beach in Hampton, Old Orchard, Florida or our annual summer kick off trip to Cape Cod with Barb & friends. Even, like it or not, your annual skipping-school-pass with your Mom (AKA Linda) to hike Elmore Mountain. You always loved music and singing with friends to a bumping JBL throughout the house (even after occasionally making their way past Aunt Cybil’s security screening), dinner nights with family and friends, huge bonfires (Linda’s brand new winter tires, ouch), any adventure with Mema and Aunt Wanda, long rides on old dirt roads with your dad, target practice, exploring cornfields with Uncle Pete, playing cards with his Meme (Mary Ellis) and Gina Brown, your love for the teenage mutant ninja turtles and androids (which we can all safely say came from your Uncle Dev), any time you got to spend with your Poppa, and the many all night video game sessions with your “boys”. Everyone you touched can recall all the things you enjoyed and were good (and bad!) at.

Your family grew faster than you did (at 6’2” it’s probably safe to say you weren’t going to get any taller) to include Sam and his son Silas Hannigan, your step mother, Jocelyn and her kids Noah and Paige; and if everyone’s ready … the list of your aunts and uncles (with their respective children): Devin Denton, Kristy and Pete Tallman and their children, Jessalynn Gravel, Riley Jones, PJ Tallman, and Hunter Tallman, Camren Jones and Scott VanHaultern and their children, Finley and Mara VanHaltern, Darcie and Shane Kurth with their child, Seylah Kurth, and Andrew Allen (d. September 14, 2026) and your namesake Dana Draper (d. August 14, 2004). There’s zero chance the list could include ALL of your family, blood relative and not, since you created such bonds with everyone around you. You always opened the door to your home, your room, and your heart to any friend that needed a place to stay and some of your moms home cooked meals.

Jayvin, 19 years was too short. WAY too short. Thankfully, those years are measured by the love shared, the connections made, the lives touched, and the memories left behind. Jayvin, you will forever remain a beloved son, family member, and friend. You will be deeply missed, endlessly loved, and never forgotten. At 19, your life was full of beginnings. There were dreams still taking shape, places yet to be seen, friendships yet to deepen, lessons yet to learn (good ones too) and experiences waiting just around the corner. Jayvin your story that was still being written, and although that story ended far too soon, the chapters already shared will never be forgotten. There is no way to make sense of a life ending so early, and no words that can adequately express the loss of all that might have been. But there is comfort in knowing that love does not end, memories do not disappear, and the influence you had on our hearts does not have an expiration date. Nineteen years was not enough. It never could have been. But those years mattered. Jayvin will always be a part of the people, stories, and lives you left behind.

A Celebration of Life will be held on November 6, 2026, at the Morrisville VFW Post 9653 from 5-8pm. A small ceremony followed by an opportunity for all to share stories & memories of Jayvin will begin at 6 pm.