Background

In the late fall of 1967, just as the frost began to threaten the dry air of their small cottage in Kalispell, Montana, a little light of a baby boy was born into the Butler family. Even as a baby, his unerring joy seemed to stave off the bitter cold of the approaching winter. Jake was the most welcome addition to a home already full of life. His bright smile was their ray of sunshine on even the coldest of days. And, to him, they were his world. Jake and his brother, Blake, would pass the days surrounded by this love and the inviting and, in their eyes, unending playground that surrounded them. Hikes through the woods, gardening at Grammy’s, ice skating on Little Bitterroot Lake, and swimming in the summer - it was idyllic. Only stopped by the calls of their parents from the porch as the sun drifted low, the boys explored their world with an unerring enthusiasm. Jake, especially, moved forward every which way - any rock in the world could pique his interest, every ladybug as special as the last. His curiosity stretched further than his little feet could take him. A day did not pass that you could not hear his and Blake’s laughter echoing out through the leaves, drifting into the open windows of their home. Eventually, a day did come when there was no one left to hear it but Blake himself, who could no longer share in his brother’s laughter. The windows closed, the curtains shut, their childhood home now empty. A new home. A new forest. Their parents’ calls out the front door replaced by the seasoned holler of their Grammy. Their parents were gone - an accident. Little Bitterroot Lake had taken hold of them and refused to let go. Blake remembered every second of it; he couldn’t forget it if he tried. Two cracks of ice. Jake’s freezing touch and glassy stare as he pulled him out. His parents swallowed and lost. To Jake, it was all but a pain in his chest when cold air hit his lungs, the frightening sting of cold water, a panic at the sound of a crack. A comforting feeling whenever his brother holds his hand - something safe about it. Everything else - pushed back to the back of his mind, where it couldn’t hurt him. It was something that happened, but not something that was acknowledged in their new home. Grammy made sure of that. The photos were taken down. Their names never spoken - her attempt to retain the boy's shining optimism. And it seemed to work for the most part. Jake continued to run through the woods and explore his world - all the while - unconsciously avoiding that calm, unassuming lake they all used to enjoy hand-in-hand. He grew up - the brightest of the bunch…. in his own way. His joy was infectious to some, irritating to others, but always never-ending. Nothing seemed to dissuade his love of life. A love that was cultivated and encouraged by his brother and his Grammy, both of whom were determined to keep that horrible incident to themselves. It was a trauma that was easy to bear the brunt of when they had each other. -When- As the summer of 84’ passed, so too did Grammy. Jake, away in California working as a lifeguard for the summer, returned to a near-empty home. That shining smile on his face would err as that beautiful summer shattered to a close. Unable to carry it on his own, Blake told him everything - slowly - carefully - so as not to break him too. Blake took Jake out of school, unwilling to drag him through another failed test, another repeated year, another person asking him if he was okay, another reassurance that he was. He kept him focused, supporting him as he completed his GED. His brother was a pillar to lean on as Jake began to, once more, move forward through life undeterred. Nothing stopping him from reaching towards all the beauty, love, and light that he had always been able to find, even in the darkest of places. He followed where his passions led him. An internship at the Saint Louis Zoo. Weekly Mandarin classes for a time spent abroad and beyond - for a dear friend he had met that summer of 84’ and hoped to see again. A few months spent aboard a private yacht as a waiter. A heavenly year he spent working amongst the smell of coffee beans and sweets in a New Orleans café. Summers spent running marathon after marathon. Wherever his feet could take him, he went. And finally, in 1993, a suggestion he couldn’t refuse from his ever-supportive brother. “Maybe they’d let you sound the horn.” He didn’t need convincing and, with Jake’s bright smile, unending charm, indiscriminate kindness, and worldly experience, how could Evercrest -not- take him on as an attendant? One impressive application, one job offer, one more Christmas spent with his brother back in Montana, one quick flight back down to Los Angeles, one more trip to that beach where he had spent that wonderful summer years ago, and he was on his way. He donned his new uniform and stepped aboard - The Silver Meridian - that unerring smile plastered on his face and Jake…ready for a new adventure.