Thank you, everyone, for coming to be here with Matt and Angenette and the boys at this difficult time. As the bishop said, I'm a close family friend. Matt and Angenette and the boys are very much our own family. And we're grateful for their friendship. I’m here this morning to remember the life of Jacob Ephraim Imbler who recently passed away the afternoon of July 31st in Upland, California. I will walk through some milestones of Jacob’s short, two-year life. and I have to say that this euology is a credit to his mother, Angenette, for keeping a journal. She'd spend time Sunday afternoons to write in the boys' journals to make sure that they had a memory of their early life, until they could keep their own journal. So I referred to these three journals, and I've had a great time reading them and remembering the memories of these boys since we've known them.
Jacob Ephraim Imbler was both a surprise and a blessing to his parents. After a relatively easy labor on July 21, 2004, Jacob made his entrance into the world at 11:08am weighing in at 6 lbs 10oz and measured 18 inches long. He instantly captured our hearts with his cute smile, chubby cheeks and his dimples. Being the third child he was greeted by his two older brothers Taylor and Nathan who instantly took him under their wings and taught him everything that they knew. He wanted to do everything that they did.Jacob was blessed in sacrament meeting on September 5, 2004 and was given a name and a beautiful blessing by his father. The blessing left a lasting impression on me as I’m sure it did to many of you. The presence of the spirit was very strong there. Matt and Angenette documented the blessing, and I'd like to read an excerpt about his name.
“Jacob, your name was chosen for you with careful thought. May you reflect on it often, and may it be a source of comfort and humility when needed. We learn from latter-day revelation that the prophet Jacob “did none other things than that [which he] was commanded.” May you also follow that path, striving diligently to keep our Heavenly Father’s commandments. It was also through Jacob that the covenant of Abraham continued, and it was then passed on to Ephraim. Ephraim means one who is fruitful. May you be fruitful and bring forth righteous fruits. It is the privilege of Ephraim’s descendents to bear the message of the restoration of the gospel to the world. We bless you with a desire to serve the Lord and proclaim the gospel through your words and deeds.”
Jacob passed onto the other side of the veil where he'll be a blessing those there. He will be able to fulfill the blessing given by his father to bear the message of the restoration of the gospel to the world through word and deed.
Jacob’s outgoing personality will be a blessing there. He would smile at anyone, and he wasn’t afraid to be anyone’s friend. He had a love that he freely shared. I know that many people felt Jacob’s love.
In early June 2005 when Jacob was between 10 and 11 months he decided it was time to walk. He would pull himself up to anything that would stay still and move about. It was only but a few weeks later that he would walk the short distance between Matt and Angenette. They would get excited, thus he would get excited. He loved to clap his hands at success. With learning to walk comes the bumps and the bruises. His Grandpa Cox called this walking phase in Jacob’s life “the black and blue phase” because he was covered in all kinds of bruises. He loved to climb. And as you know, Jacob was very active and didn’t like to stay still. Up until his passing, I think he was still somewhat in the black and blue phase.
He just wasn’t afraid to climb on anything. His favorite place to be was to climb on the kitchen table. He'd crawl up there and sit there as if he had just climbed Mt Everest, and if he was right in the middle of the table he would be safe from Matt and Angenette's grasp and he wouldn't have to get down. He wasn’t deterred from climbing on the table. Just before Matt’s 29th birthday last September, he climbed on the table and Angenette saw what was going to happen. And he started to fall, and he did fall and ended up with a large goosegg on his forehead. But that didn't deter him, because that was one of his favorite places to be on the table. Last Christmas Jacob climbed onto the table and proceded to eat a whole muffin loaf. Once again, he climbed to the middle of the table where he thought he'd be safe and proceed to finish off that loaf. Again, thinking that he was safe.Jacob’s early form of verbal communication came by way of the ear-piercing shriek. When he was unhappy or wanted something – instead of crying he was let out these shrieks. This wasn't pleasant, and everyone was grateful when he found other ways to communicate. It did, however, persist for several weeks. One thing that was sure to bring a shriek was when Angenette or Matt would break up his food into little pieces. He didn't want any part of that. He wanted to gnaw on it. He had five little teeth at the time and wanted to just devour it. He would put away whatever was in front of him. This little boy could eat like you wouldn't believe. The other boys are somewhat picky eaters, but Jacob would eat whatever you put in front of him. He loved meat. He loved any kind of protein. It was fun just to watch him eat. We would stop by after dinner and find the older boys playing in the living room, but Jacob still be in his chair, still at the kitchen table finishing his dinner.
Just before his first birthday, Angenette took a cake decorating class. She would make lots of cakes, and there was lots of cakes for Jacob to eat. He loved cake. Angenette always lets the boys choose the theme of their birthday cake and then she creates a work of art – a masterpiece for them. Jacob's first birthday cake was a circus theme complete with clowns. While I’m sure he wasn’t interested in viewing the cake, he sure was interested in eating it.By his first birthday Jacob has mastered walking and moving about on his own. This was great in some ways but difficult in others. He loved to climb and explore. Two weeks after his first birthday, Nathan and Jacob discovered sunscreen in the diaper bag. They had been at the county fair the day before and must have thought it would be fun to put sunscreen on again the following day. But Jacob wasn't into putting it on- he wanted to eat it, true to Jacob's fashion of wanting to eat. This sunscreen ended up having a bug repellent in it as well. It was 40% alcohol. He constantly vomited. Poison control told Matt and Angenette to watch him and make sure he didn't go to sleep. He ended up getting drowsy and couldn’t stay awake. So they rushed him to the ER, where they discovered his body had already purged the alcohol through the vomiting and he was sleepy and lethargic, because he had worn himself out. Despite all three Imbler boys being very active children, Jacob is the only one to have had an ER visit.
This experience didn’t get Jacob down though. He still continued to climb and explore. The next week, he pulled the piano bench down on on his face and ended up with a bloody nose He nursed that and was back goin' again. This event happened again later in the year as he learned to run, and he ran into the piano bench. I think he just got going with the little pitter-patter of his feet, and he couldn't stop. But climbing was truly his passion. This time he was climbing on the sectional. For those of you who haven't been in Matt and Angenette's home, they have a nice sectional in their family room. And Jacob would climb up on the back, and would be fine as it hugged the wall, but as he got to the corner there was a gap back there, and he would fall back behind the couch. He would squeal and shriek and Matt or Angenette would pick him up. It didn't deter him; he would do it again.
Angenette was getting fed up with Jacob’s persistent shrieking and decided it was high time Jacob learned to say please. Angenette said that this was a “tall order” as the only thing he could say at the time was “da da” and a hello greeting – “Ha." Finally, Angenette heard some “Eeees" out of him and knew she was getting through.
When he finally learned to say “Hi” instead of Ha and would go around saying it for no reason. He would just walk up to Matt or Angenette and say “hi” out of the blue. This was always be accompanied by a cute smile.
Mid-September last year brought the sad news of Grandma Imbler’s cancer and the beginning of the monthly trips to Southern California. But Jacob was truly a trooper in the car and did remarkably well. He was just old enough to be in a front-facing car seat, and he could watch movies. One of his favorite movie was Finding Nemo. You probably saw it there on the table. He would just sit in his car seat, and when you would walk up to the window, he would just smile at you.
He added some new words to his vocabulary which included Mama, this, and Jesus, as well as a couple things that sound like Taylor and Nathan. When he would say Mama, he would stick out his tongue out afterwards. He had a little bit of a sense of humor.
He loved to hear stories about Jesus and loved to read the Book of Mormon with the family. Jacob was my Sacrament Meeting buddy, and we would sit together and read books. One of the books that the boys liked to read was The Sacrament Book, about the importance of the Sacrament and being reverent during the Sacrament. Nathan had some favorite pictures on each page that he would point out to Jacob. While Jacob couldn't say anything, he would point out those same pictures that Nathan liked on those pages. He would sit on my lap and lay his head on my chest and relax. It was some of the greatest and quietest and mellow times with Jacob. I think deep down he understood the importance of the reverence of the Sacrament. Angenette has taught the three boys of the importance of the Sacrament, and through repetition, I think they are understanding it and getting it. When he turned 18 months he loved to be in the nursery with Brother James and Brother Ercanbrack as well as with Nathan.
Last Halloween on a trip to California, Jacob was dressed up with Taylor and Nathan as characters from the Wizard of Oz. He was the Tinman and quite happy about his cone-shaped hat and gray sweatsuit. He would pose for pictures and was very cute.
This experience didn’t get Jacob down though. He still continued to climb and explore. The next week, he pulled the piano bench down on on his face and ended up with a bloody nose He nursed that and was back goin' again. This event happened again later in the year as he learned to run, and he ran into the piano bench. I think he just got going with the little pitter-patter of his feet, and he couldn't stop. But climbing was truly his passion. This time he was climbing on the sectional. For those of you who haven't been in Matt and Angenette's home, they have a nice sectional in their family room. And Jacob would climb up on the back, and would be fine as it hugged the wall, but as he got to the corner there was a gap back there, and he would fall back behind the couch. He would squeal and shriek and Matt or Angenette would pick him up. It didn't deter him; he would do it again.
Angenette was getting fed up with Jacob’s persistent shrieking and decided it was high time Jacob learned to say please. Angenette said that this was a “tall order” as the only thing he could say at the time was “da da” and a hello greeting – “Ha." Finally, Angenette heard some “Eeees" out of him and knew she was getting through.
When he finally learned to say “Hi” instead of Ha and would go around saying it for no reason. He would just walk up to Matt or Angenette and say “hi” out of the blue. This was always be accompanied by a cute smile.
Mid-September last year brought the sad news of Grandma Imbler’s cancer and the beginning of the monthly trips to Southern California. But Jacob was truly a trooper in the car and did remarkably well. He was just old enough to be in a front-facing car seat, and he could watch movies. One of his favorite movie was Finding Nemo. You probably saw it there on the table. He would just sit in his car seat, and when you would walk up to the window, he would just smile at you.
He added some new words to his vocabulary which included Mama, this, and Jesus, as well as a couple things that sound like Taylor and Nathan. When he would say Mama, he would stick out his tongue out afterwards. He had a little bit of a sense of humor.
He loved to hear stories about Jesus and loved to read the Book of Mormon with the family. Jacob was my Sacrament Meeting buddy, and we would sit together and read books. One of the books that the boys liked to read was The Sacrament Book, about the importance of the Sacrament and being reverent during the Sacrament. Nathan had some favorite pictures on each page that he would point out to Jacob. While Jacob couldn't say anything, he would point out those same pictures that Nathan liked on those pages. He would sit on my lap and lay his head on my chest and relax. It was some of the greatest and quietest and mellow times with Jacob. I think deep down he understood the importance of the reverence of the Sacrament. Angenette has taught the three boys of the importance of the Sacrament, and through repetition, I think they are understanding it and getting it. When he turned 18 months he loved to be in the nursery with Brother James and Brother Ercanbrack as well as with Nathan.
Last Halloween on a trip to California, Jacob was dressed up with Taylor and Nathan as characters from the Wizard of Oz. He was the Tinman and quite happy about his cone-shaped hat and gray sweatsuit. He would pose for pictures and was very cute.
The Imbler family spent time with both grandparents during the Christmas holiday and all spoiled him. Jacob gained a passion for Thomas the Tank Engine from his older brother Taylor. Taylor loved Thomas and passed on his love to Jacob. Jacob loved to watch Thomas, play with Thomas and generally anything that had to do with Thomas. Every train whistle he heard was either a train or Thomas. As Lisa was saying the opening prayer, I could help hearing the train whistle, and I just think of Jacob every time.Jacob’s eighteen month appointment rolled around this past February and after mentioning to the doctor that Jacob wasn’t doing a lot of talking, a series of tests were run to see if there was something the matter. It was determined that he was having some difficulty hearing and acquiring language. With all the frequent traveling being done, Jacob, we think, couldn’t pop his ears when needed. He never seemed to fuss or complain, but after the visit to the doctor, we learned what was going on. He wasn’t at the 15-20 word average he should have been with someone of his age. But within the next few months he began picking up more words. Some of my favorites were ees for please. Tay for Taylor and Na-nan for Nathan. My favorite words though was blue and baby. Every Sunday we would read a book about Fisher-Price’s Little People that would help kids learn about the environment and about colors. He always looked forward to the page with the blue balloon and would immediately point to it and say blue. The other was a picture of a baby inside of a minivan, and he loved to point to the picture of the baby and say, "Baby?"
In April of this year he learned to say “outside”. He loved to be outside. Angenette even discovered that he snuck into the back yard one day and was making mud pies. He loved to be outside- especially with Nathan and Taylor. He had no fear of the slide or of the swings. I think if it meant climbing or being high in the air, he was in.
Jacob wasn’t ready for potty training, but he wasn’t interested in his diaper either. In fact, he took great joy in taking it off. He perfected this art and could even take it off with his clothes on and then pull the diaper through his pants. So can imagine the messes that it made.
Jacob loved the bathroom. Angenette usually knew when the house was quiet that Jacob would be upstairs either on the counter, or actually sitting on the faucet or in the sink brushing his teeth. He loved his toothbrush. I think he would have either been a professional climber or a dentist when he grew up. On one of these quiet days, Angenette walked into the bathroom and found Jacob sitting in the toilet. He was all smiles! Instead of scolding him, Angenette ran for the camera, and we still laugh about it today!
In April of this year he learned to say “outside”. He loved to be outside. Angenette even discovered that he snuck into the back yard one day and was making mud pies. He loved to be outside- especially with Nathan and Taylor. He had no fear of the slide or of the swings. I think if it meant climbing or being high in the air, he was in.
Jacob wasn’t ready for potty training, but he wasn’t interested in his diaper either. In fact, he took great joy in taking it off. He perfected this art and could even take it off with his clothes on and then pull the diaper through his pants. So can imagine the messes that it made.
Jacob loved the bathroom. Angenette usually knew when the house was quiet that Jacob would be upstairs either on the counter, or actually sitting on the faucet or in the sink brushing his teeth. He loved his toothbrush. I think he would have either been a professional climber or a dentist when he grew up. On one of these quiet days, Angenette walked into the bathroom and found Jacob sitting in the toilet. He was all smiles! Instead of scolding him, Angenette ran for the camera, and we still laugh about it today!Jacob had recently began using the word “yeah” and would answer quite simply with "yeah," even if he didn’t mean yeah. He has heard Taylor and Nathan use it and in he liked to be like them.
His language got much better and he'd begun reciting simple prayers. He could say a blessing on the food and simple personal prayers with help. On one occasion Jacob tried to say the family prayer before bed but became distracted by the whistle of the passing train.
He has recently been able to say Gott and Eesa for Lisa and I, and our hearts melt anytime that he would say that. One of my fondest memories of Jacob was a reoccurring event. Whenever would walk in the door, Taylor and Nathan would jump up and greet us at the door. Jacob would drop was he was doing and come running to me with his arms up to be picked up. He was my little buddy and I was always very excited to see him. I miss him so much.
The final entry in Jacob’s journal reads. “You’ve been talking are a lot. The other day you even said “Mommy, help me.” Angenette felt so good to hear him say that. She goes on to write “You’ve still been taking your diaper off (Grrr) and recently you climbed out of your crib. I’m not ready of you to be in a big boy bed yet.”
After I left for my new job in Oregon Angenette sent me a picture on my email of Jacob taking a nap in a twin bed. I was curious about this, as I knew he hadn’t moved out of his crib. As it turned out, Lisa had been staying with the Imblers a few nights after our furniture had been picked up and taken and was sleeping in a twin bed in Jacob’s room that Aunty Crissy had recently been in when she was visiting. The house was all too quiet one afternoon, and Angenette went looking Jacob. She found that he went into Nathan’s room, took Nathan's pillow, and went back into his own room, and climbed into Lisa’s bed and was fast asleep. He put himself down for a nap in a normal bed. Thus was a signaling that he was ready.
He received a toddler bed for his two-year birthday with some Finding Nemo sheets, and he was thrilled. He loved his Finding Nemo pillow and insisted on sleeping on the side with Dory on it.
He had some difficulities staying in the toddler bed, mainly because they put in with Taylor and Nathan, and he just wanted to be up playing with them or playing with the toys rather than sleeping.
His language got much better and he'd begun reciting simple prayers. He could say a blessing on the food and simple personal prayers with help. On one occasion Jacob tried to say the family prayer before bed but became distracted by the whistle of the passing train.
He has recently been able to say Gott and Eesa for Lisa and I, and our hearts melt anytime that he would say that. One of my fondest memories of Jacob was a reoccurring event. Whenever would walk in the door, Taylor and Nathan would jump up and greet us at the door. Jacob would drop was he was doing and come running to me with his arms up to be picked up. He was my little buddy and I was always very excited to see him. I miss him so much.
The final entry in Jacob’s journal reads. “You’ve been talking are a lot. The other day you even said “Mommy, help me.” Angenette felt so good to hear him say that. She goes on to write “You’ve still been taking your diaper off (Grrr) and recently you climbed out of your crib. I’m not ready of you to be in a big boy bed yet.”
After I left for my new job in Oregon Angenette sent me a picture on my email of Jacob taking a nap in a twin bed. I was curious about this, as I knew he hadn’t moved out of his crib. As it turned out, Lisa had been staying with the Imblers a few nights after our furniture had been picked up and taken and was sleeping in a twin bed in Jacob’s room that Aunty Crissy had recently been in when she was visiting. The house was all too quiet one afternoon, and Angenette went looking Jacob. She found that he went into Nathan’s room, took Nathan's pillow, and went back into his own room, and climbed into Lisa’s bed and was fast asleep. He put himself down for a nap in a normal bed. Thus was a signaling that he was ready.
He received a toddler bed for his two-year birthday with some Finding Nemo sheets, and he was thrilled. He loved his Finding Nemo pillow and insisted on sleeping on the side with Dory on it.He had some difficulities staying in the toddler bed, mainly because they put in with Taylor and Nathan, and he just wanted to be up playing with them or playing with the toys rather than sleeping.
Shortly after his second birthday, the family made a trip to California to see Grandma Imbler one more time before the cancer would take her. It was there that he passed away. He was there on the other side to comfort his grandma when she passed away a few short number of hours later.While Jacob is gone from this mortal existence, he is still part of the eternal Matt and Angenette Imbler family. I suspect that he will talk with his future brothers and sisters on the other side and tell them what to expect and what to do, and what kind of things push his parents' buttons.
He was so loved by all that knew him. He will live forever in our minds and our hearts, until, as we live righteously, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father and with Jacob again.
I'm so grateful for Matt and Angenette, and for the boys for their friendship. I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that families can be together forever. They can return together and be an eternal family. These things I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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