A Great Friend

Spencer and I have been married for 11 years.  During this time, we have made many good friends.  Our first friends that we made as a couple (where neither of us had previously been friends before marriage) were Nate & Kami Jordan.  Followed immediately by Tristan & Abbie Anderson.  We were in the same ward for 2 years.  We had Cameron, neither the Anderson's or Jordan's had children at the time.  Although we have all moved from the ward in Logan (Anderson's are still in Cache Valley) and lost touch along the way, we still consider them to be kindred friends.  We have been able to reconnect throughout the years and it seems as if no time has passed since our last communication.  We truly love them all.  We lost our dear, Nate, to cancer on Saturday, October 1st.  We were privileged to attend his funeral services with the Anderson's in Riverton, Wyoming yesterday.  

Before I go on, there is no way this opportunity would have been possible if it had not been for my fabulous family.  My parents had been on a cruise the previous week and were to fly in to Salt Lake Monday afternoon.  During their layover in Houston, my mom and I talked on the phone.  I told her about Nate's passing and how we were trying to finalize plans so that Spence and I could go to the funeral.  Emily had already volunteered to keep all 5 kids. Callie had already volunteered to let us take her brand new Jetta.  And before my parents left Houston, my mom sent me a text that said dad would take the shuttle back to Idaho and she would stay with our kids to help Emily.  She gave up 2 days of her vacation to help us.  Callie's husband, Mike ended up coming over in the afternoon to help entertain kids and to attend a school assembly where Cam was recognized (more on that in another post), Callie came after work, Emily was back and forth between our house and hers throughout the day, and we came home to 5 happy kids in bed and a clean house.  We appreciate it so much.  Words cannot adequately express our gratitude.  


Nate was diagnosed with Leukemia on May 2nd.  He and Kami went immediately to Denver to begin chemo treatments.  He received a bone marrow transplant in August.  He was released from the hospital and everything looked good.  He was readmitted in September and sent home a couple of weeks later.  The doctors said there was nothing else they could do.  We were very sad and began planning a trip to Riverton to say goodbye.  Kami was so positive and encouraged people to come visit.  Nate was in a ton of pain but enjoyed seeing friends and family.  We had made all the arrangements for us to leave Friday, September 30th and visit for the weekend.  However, Nate took a turn on Thursday and we (and others) were kindly asked to leave his remaining time on earth with his family. They knew it was getting close.  With heavy hearts we canceled our plans.  


Yesterday morning at 6:00, we left our house.  We were in touch with Abbie & Tristan and decided we would try to meet up with them somewhere in Wyoming so that we could travel the rest of the way together.  We tentatively planned to meet at a little town named Farson, population 326.  As we pulled in to Farson 3+ hours later and found a gas station, I called Abbie to see where they were.  Literally 30 seconds later, they pulled in to the gas station!  We asked the gas station worker if they could leave their truck parked there for the day and they loaded in with us.  The remaining 1 1/2 hours of travel went by so quickly.  We really enjoyed being with each other and quickly caught up on the past few years.  We laughed, we cried, we reminisced about our time in Logan as newlyweds.  We arrived in Riverton around 11.  We stopped and saw their gym, Iron Works. 

Abbie & I

Tristan & Spence

We ate lunch at Wendy's and changed into dress clothes.  We went to the church and saw Kami.  We hugged and cried.  We met their girls, Grace & Scarlett.  Because there was still an hour before the funeral service and the viewing was only open to family, we drove through Riverton and saw Nate & Kami's home.  Then returned to the church to honor our friend.  We learned a lot about Nate.  

We went to the graveside and got a little more time with Kami.  We talked about taking our families to Riverton, maybe in the spring?  We invited her to visit us in Utah.  We laughed.  We cried.  We hugged.  And after the luncheon, we drove home.  We are SO glad we were able to go.  

Spencer, Natalie, Kami, Abbie, Tristan

Nate was a big fan of comics.  He especially liked "The Punisher."  After the grave was dedicated, Kami and Grace approached the casket.  Kami let Grace put stickers on the casket, just like any 5 year old would want to!  They put 2 small Superman emblems (for Grace & Scarlett), one large Superman (for Kami), and a Punisher (for Nate.)  This little act touched my heart.  

Nate's Obituary:
"Nathan Samuel Jordan, 33, returned home to his Heavenly Father October 1, 2011 in Riverton, WY. Funeral services will be held 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 5th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with Bishop Wendell Richardson conducting. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.

Nate was born June 28, 1978, to Samuel S. and Mary Ellen (Hart) Jordan in Riverton.

Mr. Jordan graduated from Riverton High School in 1996 and then from Bridgerland Applied Technology College in 2004.

February 10, 2001, he was sealed to Kami Fabrizius in the Ogden Temple.

Nate was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a mission in Ohio. He was also dedicated to the building of the Veil Crossing Monument at Martin’s Cove.

From 2004 until 2011, he worked for Dave Maddock and then in 2005, he and his wife opened the Iron Works Gym. He enjoyed powerlifting, where he maxed out at 425 lbs on bench and 505 lbs. on squat. He shared a love of comic book heroes with his daughters. He and his wife enjoyed traveling, and was known for always having a project on a vehicle. His family says that it was obvious to those who knew Nate that his faith and family came first in his life.

He was the founding member of the ½ ton club at Iron Works Gym. He also volunteered his time with the Fremont County Athletes. He also participated in Turn on Tonkin." 



I wrote the following for Kami but wanted to have it in our family history as well:

"On Saturday morning, October 1, 2011, Spencer and I went running. We run at different paces and usually get separated from each other. Such was the case that morning. When we got back together, Spencer told me that he had a strange, but very real feeling that Nate had passed on. Although we didn't know for sure, we knew. And we felt the loss. That evening, Spence & I went to dinner after he'd gone to Priesthood Meeting. We talked about Nate, our memories of him when we lived in Logan, and the way he'd changed our lives.

We met & became friends with Nate & Kami when we lived in Logan, around 2002. Nate drove a big white & blue Ford truck with a covered bed. He was asked to help people move in and out of the ward numerous times. He would occassionally grumble about it but everyone knew that he would help out. He was always willing to serve others. When Spencer's parents moved to Hawaii in 2003, they left us with the responsibility of cleaning out their home and getting it ready for renters. Nathan & Kami helped us on many weekends. His blue & white truck was used to take loads to the dump, DI, and storage units. After the Jordan's moved back to Wyoming and we moved to Idaho, any time we'd see a blue & white truck driving down the road, we'd slow down a little to see if, by some random chance, it was Nate & Kami.

Nate & Spencer became immediate friends. They were home teaching companions and went to visit their families every single month, not because they really cared for their families (we can't even remember who they were assigned to) but because they cared about each other! They quickly learned that the other liked WWF, televised pro-wrestling, and we'd get together most Monday nights so the boys could watch Monday Night Raw! When they found out WWF was coming to Salt Lake, Spence & Nate talked Kami & I into getting tickets. We went to the E Center together. The boys were in heaven. Shortly after the Jordan's moved, Spencer quit watching Raw. I asked him why and he said, “It's just not as fun without Nate.”

Nate & Spencer also found a common interest in cars, old and new. One day Spencer had to drive to Salt Lake to pick up a dishwasher for our home. He found out that there was a car show at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy and decided that he'd like to go. So he asked Nate if he wanted to go too. They loaded up in Nate's truck with Cameron, around 1 year old. They had a great time and didn't get home until late that night. Months later, I found out that they had ran the errand, went to the car show, and then eaten at HOOTERS! With my 1-year-old little boy!!! I was a little upset, Kami just laughed. Maybe because Nate had told her where they'd eaten the minute he got home, not months later. They had such a good, loving, and honest relationship.

I remember sharing a dinner table with the Jordan's on many occassions. Nate would break out in a sweat any time he ate red meat. And we ate a lot of red meat too... When Cameron was 5 months old, I realized that we'd soon be celebrating Spence's first real Father's Day. He'd hinted (a lot) that he would really like a grill but I knew that our finances wouldn't allow for that. I'm sure I was just talking to Kami one day and telling her how I wished I could get Spence a grill when she suggested I discuss it with Nate. As soon as I'd told Nate the dilemna, he assured me that he could fabricate a charcoal grill. I left it in his hands and honestly didn't even think another thing about it. For his first Father's Day, Spence did receive a grill...custom made by Nate! Although we now have a gas grill on our back patio, many times Spencer will choose to cook on his first grill.

As we were talking about Nate over dinner on Saturday night, Spence said something about how he wouldn't call Nate his best friend because he felt they were more like brothers. There was an immediate connection between the two and although we'd gone years without talking to the Jordans, we thought about them so often. When we finally got to talk to Kami mid-September, it felt as if no time had been lost, we just picked up where we'd left off the last time we'd talked. We were anxiously preparing to visit Riverton and see Nate the same weekend that he passed away. Not making the effort to go sooner is one of the biggest regrets we have. Nate was a great man. We will miss him."

If you have read this entire post, you have probably remembered a friend who meant a great deal to you at one time in your life.  Do me a favor and call that friend today!  Don't wait.  


Miss Stacy (from the Anne of Green Gables movie) says, "True friends are always together in spirit."   We love and miss you Nate!  We anxiously await the day until we see you again.