BRICK – Thousands of members of the Brick Memorial High School community braved the rain and the high winds to attend the vigil to mourn the loss and honor the memory of Jackson Daniel Mueller.
The students held candles in memory of their peer. Prominent members of the Brick Memorial community were in attendance, such as Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Farrell.
A small break in the rain occurred for the vigil, but it unfortunately came back. After the vigil was dispersed due to inclement weather, a small group of students and their families gathered near a memorial made up of candles, balloons, and flowers that was set up at the spot where the accident occurred the day before. They stood out in the rain at the makeshift memorial to mourn the tragic accident.
The 15-year-old was a lifelong resident of Brick whose life was cut short by a hit-and-run Tuesday morning as he was riding his bike to school.
Jackson was just short of finishing his freshman year at Brick Memorial High School. While the family was robbed of a son, grandson, brother and nephew, the world won’t see him grow up to be an engineer, which was his chosen profession.
As an honors student in the school’s STEM Program, he was expected to attend the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science in September.
While attending Veterans Memorial Middle School, he had been an officer of the NJHS and served as treasurer for Student Council.
In athletics, he ran track at Brick Memorial High School, earned his black belt from Brick PPK, and played flag football for SJNFL Flag.
The teen’s obituary paints a picture of someone who loved and was loved; who had high hopes for the future but enjoyed today; and celebrated the good things in life: “Jackson was a fantastic son, brother, grandson, nephew, and friend. He was highly intelligent, loving, creative, artistic, responsible, thoughtful, silly, affectionate, and just a chill kid. He loved playing video games with his friends, mountain biking with his dad, taking vacations, hanging out with his friends, going on cruises, playing chess with his grandfather, eating at restaurants, making pitchers of lemonade, an avid reader and drawer. Jackson was a fierce protector and caregiver to his disabled brother, Cameron. Jackson shared his love of reading and artistic abilities with his sister Olivia, whom she adored and admired her whole life. Jackson also loved playing, laughing, rough housing, and playing chess with his youngest brother, Grayson. Jackson also loved his parents and grandparents so much, always stopping to hug them hello, goodbye, good morning, and goodnight, and wasn’t afraid to tell them he loved them in front of his friends.”
Predeceased by his grandfather, Lee Mueller, he is survived by his parents, Daniel and Kimberly Mueller; siblings Olivia, Cameron and Grayson; maternal grandparents Frances and Chester Jaremczak; paternal grandmother Fran Mueller; godfather and uncle, Bryan Jaremczak (Sherry Niebergall); godmother and aunt Tiffany Karoly (Bobby Karoly); aunt Jennifer Stewart and her late husband, Clayton; cousins Charlotte, Christopher and Aurora; and many other extended family members and friends.
Funeral arrangements have been made at the O’Brien Funeral Home, 505 Burnt Tavern Road, Brick. Visitation will be held on Friday, May 22, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. The funeral service will begin at 6:30 p.m., while the committal will be a private affair for close friends and family.
A GoFundMe page established to help the family pay for the funeral has far surpassed $100,000 and a scholarship fund will be set up in the near future.
