Jordan Hiles

Our favorite memories of Jordan was the fact that he always had a good one liner. He was definitely the best. The other thing we distinctly remember was when he would call you, Ashton Ook. He was a one of a kind and about a sweetest kid as you could ever want, and we just love him and miss him greatly, even though we didn’t see him much we knew he was out there doing his thing just being Jordan.

My memories of Jordan are not so much of specific, isolated moments or events, but rather more general impressions of an overall mood. And those moods are overwhelmingly positive. Jordan exuded joy. He lived in the moment; he savored each moment and seemed fully invested in whatever he was doing. And yet he also lived in the future; he was full of dreams and hopes and ideas and when we talked about them it was almost as if they were already here. Jordan was also passionate. He committed to things fully. His support and enthusiasm were unflagging and yet he was also very kind and tolerant of folks having different views. I didn't see Jordan regularly or often but I was ALWAYS glad when I did. He was one of those people who just spread happiness.

I was roommates with your dad in Edinboro State College in the late 70’s early 80’s. We had many adventures -educational AND extra-curricular- and fun times in those days. I now consider them some of the best years of my life and your dad was such an important part of my life then. He saved my sorry Irish-ass on many occasion (stories for another time)….I could certainly go on, once started, with many great memories, but for our current purpose here, I want to visit the first and only time I met Jordan (and you too for that matter). You both came into my life pre-approved by simple connection through Tim, but, of course, I never really met you. As years went by after college, Tim and I would reunion a number of times in NYC while he was visiting there lecturing. One of his visits, of course, included him, you, Jordan, Dillon, Lori (my wife) and me. We spent some time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I can’t recall the exact year, but it may have been 2014….ish. I recall Jordan’s presence and light; I saw it in his eyes. Dillon is a bit more shy than Jordan, so I was so grateful to Jordan for making Dillon so comfortable throughout the day at the museum. I enjoyed Jordan’s sense of humor and openness. If I remember correctly, I don’t believe Jordan and his dad agreed on a military career for Jordan (I believe he was considering at the time). There may have been some mild banter about that…It made me chuckle….Dillon and I were probably not seeing eye-to-eye on much either at that juncture of our lives. I may be improvising/absconding with/on details of the day, but, in my feeble mind I recall it that way. I would love to hear your memory of it. A reflection: That day we were all part of something bigger though than ourselves, yet inclusive of ourselves in respect to our memory shared forever of a simple, special day, where we invited new people into our minds and hearts - but connected through two olds farts!!! I still remember and enjoy AND… it occurred in a museum. I’ll always see Jordan there.

I know you will have many people remarking about his genuine happy nature and iconic smile. Take that as granted for me, as well. But two memories stand out differently. The first was during FUUF activities such as Pennies for Peace and Relay For Life. It was then that I really interacted with Jordan for a significant amount of time and got to know him (rather than being part of the kids with both of you, Anna, and Aaron playing together). I remember how freely Jordan shared ideas and fully participated in planning and activities. And I was struck by how curious he was. Jordan was always asking questions and was never self-conscious about his curiosity. He wanted to understand everything. I especially remember him asking about why Carl, Owen Rhodes, and Tom McCroskey, were in drag for the Relay For Life womanless beauty pageant/contest. The answer, to raise money, was difficult for him to understand (and in retrospect, I totally agree). I loved that Jordan offered his opinion freely. In fact, I believe he was one of the most outspoken people to lobby for FUUF Fighters as our team’s name. What impressed me most about Jordan was how comfortable he felt with himself, and it made me question why so many others of us (specifically thinking about myself) did not. To me, Jordan stood out as an example of being genuine. The second memory has a similar vibe. It was the last time I saw Jordan. Carl and I ran into him and Tim at Home Depot. Jordan was working in Florida and we asked how the job was going. He liked his work but also shared that in customer service people could be very rude and relayed a time when someone became hostile. He specifically shared a story about hearing a man state a clearly incorrect political/social view. In his distinct Jordan fashion, he calmly but definitively responded that he did not think that the statement was true and gave his reasons why not. He said the person became very angry, got in his face, and pushed him. Luckily, the airline did not tolerate that person’s behavior and supported Jordan. However, when I heard the story, my gut reaction was to protect him from all the violence that was being released in our society while knowing full well that was impossible. I admired Jordan for not compromising his own integrity and standing up when hearing disinformation. Whereas at such times, my fear and anger can result in silence. And I remember admiring Tim at that time, too. As Jordan’s father, I thought he must surely have felt the same parental protectiveness and yet was not overprotective. He let Jordan live his life and pursue his dreams. Both good examples for being as free as we possibly can be in this world.

I have so many great memories of Jordan from our years growing up together in Maryville, and it is hard to pick a few to share in one post. I met Jordan when I was four years old, after my family moved into a house across the street from the Hiles’ old house on South Maple. I remember being scared of Jordan and Ashton at first, thinking that they were the cool older kids on the street who wouldn’t want to talk to me. I soon realized they were really nice kids, and I remember spending many happy hours at the Hiles’ house shooting basketball, jumping on the trampoline, digging for earthworms, and watching Drake and Josh on tv. One conversation between Jordan and me when we were little that I do not remember, but that my mom would sometimes talk about, was when he asked me what the scariest movie I had ever seen was. I said it was a Thomas the Tank Engine episode I had seen. My mom said that Jordan seemed surprised, but instead of making fun of me, as most kids that age would have done, he looked at me earnestly and said something like “wow, that does sound pretty scary”. Jordan was always a very kind person and great friend, all the way from being a young kid. I looked up to him in so many ways when I was little, and that continued after he and his family moved to a new house in Maryville. Even though their new house was a short ways away, I remember being bummed that I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with him. I continued to see him often, though, and we remained good friends throughout our childhood. We had lots of annual traditions we kept up, and those are my favorite memories of times I spent with Jordan. An Ice Bears game in January for his birthday. A super bowl watch party in February. Usually a fishing trip or two in the spring or summer. Definitely a Smokies game or two in the summer. Sometimes a UT football game in the fall. Often a UT basketball game in December or later in the winter. Jordan was always such a calming presence, and going to games together was always a relaxing and fun time. I will always remember the routine of his signature knock on the door, telling jokes on the way to the game (no, I would not eat my own foot if stranded in the desert!), eating as much junk food as our dads would give us money for, cheering on whichever team we went to see, and just having a great time. Jordan was a wonderful friend, and he was also so much more. He was always a role model for me, and he will continue to be a role model for me. That guy could not be fazed by anything. He always had big dreams, set high expectations for himself, and would put his absolute best into everything he did, from marching band to college classes to his career in the airline industry. He worked hard and achieved a lot, all while maintaining confidence in himself, keeping a cheerful attitude, and being compassionate to everyone around him. I think we could all use some of the confidence, kindness, courage, and resilience of Jordan. Looking back, I think he was a person in my life who helped shape who I am and aspire to be today, and I’m guessing a lot of us who knew him feel that way. I miss him a lot and will continue to for a long time. I will do my best to help continue on his truly exceptional spirit and wisdom.

I married into the family in 2009, but I met Jordan a few years before that. I have many memories, and what comes to mind the most was how happy Jordan was. I truly believe I never saw Jordan behave in any other way than joyful, and his smile was very contagious. Jordan, always so kind, and I loved his fun sense of humor too. I remember the time we camped at Jordan’s Uncle Jeff's campground. That was when I realized how very smart Jordan was for a 12 year old. Jordan had a new book that he was reading during his trip to OH. I was flipping through the pages of his book and he preceded to tell me about something he read in the book that fascinated him. I found the pages he was referring to and he was repeating verbatim the entire chapter on this particular subject. My favorite memories include our visits to the cider mill, mall outings, gatlinburg, the smokies, and my favorite memory was seeing Jordan march in his high school band playing his trombone, and then his graduation ceremony. We were all so happy and proud and couldn’t help but notice his own self pride he had in himself. Jordan will be missed by so many. Gone way too soon, thought of so often, and never to be forgotten.

Jordan was a loving, passionate and the most friendly guy you’d ever met. I remember when he graduated high school he was named “Mr.Congeniality”, which has always been so fitting. Jordan, Ashton, my brother Sean & I have had many adventures throughout our lives as cousins. Trips from Detroit to Knoxville, Kings Island or our family trip to Italy all hold a special place in my heart. Jordan was always cracking jokes and quoting SpongeBob, we were never bored if Jordan was there. When we were adults, Jordan was tirelessly pursuing a career in travel. I had been living in Dallas, TX and was so excited when he asked if he could come stay with me for a little while, while he got ready to start a class to learn how to plan flights. He stayed with me for 2 separate weeks but was in Dallas for 6 more on top of that. During that time I got to share so many fun things with him and we got to get to know each other as adults, I am so grateful to have had that time together. During that time, I saw Jordan work his butt off studying and challenging himself through his class, but also we ate very large slices of pizza, I bought him his first margarita and explored a lot of Dallas sights together. Even after he left Dallas, I always loved hearing about his hopes, his successes and the joys he experienced in his every day life in Mesa and then in Sarasota. The joy Jordan brought to all of our lives has been so missed and will always be. 🩷