Obituary for G. James “Jay” Roman, III
G. James “Jay” Roman, III
August 9, 1976 – July 14, 2022
“Brandywine Historic Trail” –
Author
We lost our sweet son on Thursday July 14th, 2022.
Jay was taken into the arms of the Lord all too young, surrounded by his immediate family who loved him fiercely and cherished him dearly.
Jay’s courageous battle with cancer and war-induced demons was lost just before his 46th birthday.
About those demons…it’s unfortunate that many people only recently came to know Jay, and some who’ve known him all along have had their older, happier memories jaded by the experience of Jay’s struggles in recent years. Let us remind you what you missed.
Before life and experience transformed him into Jay, he was always our Jamie, and in some of our happiest moments, he was our Bobo. What you missed was the young prankster spying on big sister Susi and her dates (when he reportedly collected a quarter for every kiss he would witness and report back to his father). You missed the industrious youngster earning money and learning responsibility while cutting hundreds of lawns. You missed the carefree teenaged baseball player, learning under the practiced and patient eye of dear Coach Granny. You missed Eagle Scout Jamie, who worked diligently for years, and hiked some of the most challenging lands in the country, to earn that highest of Scout honors.
Jay was a graduate of Archmere Academy, Class of 94. Then came that interesting experiment Jamie called college. Apparently, it was a lot of fun. In between it all he dated some wonderful girls and young women and had the good fortune to fall in love a couple of times.
Jamie was the consummate caregiver. His career as an EMT and his ever-giving nature led him often to embrace those in dire circumstances. “I want to help them”, was always his mantra. He was one of the ambulance responders to the attack of the World Trade Center and a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Jamie was first and foremost a Patriot to his bones. He joined the Air Force while still a young man, and served proudly in the Delaware Air National Guard as an Air Medic, reaching the rank of Technical Sergeant. The Patriot’s call remained strong. His work for a number of years as a Paramedic (“Doc” to his team) for a private military contractor was challenging. He deployed multiple times with both to, as he called it: “One or another of the ‘Stans”.
After he came home, he began the painful change from Jamie to Jay. Jay was a different young man than the one who first shipped out, and we watched up close and for an agonizing duration of time as Jay fought valiantly against those demons that hitched a ride home with him and refused to leave him. The invisible wounds inflicted by PTSD are terrible to behold, and we can only imagine how terrible to endure. While still struggling with this tremendous burden, Jay was diagnosed with what proved to be an aggressive strain of cancer, likely the result of exposure to toxic material in remote postings assigned to Jay and so many of his brothers-in-arms. Through his protracted illness, Jay fought bravely. During that time, we saw flashes of the old Jamie and took those little victories when we could find them. He smiled when he could, gritted his teeth when he couldn’t, and never once regretted the life path that he chose, because he served.
He is predeceased by his sister, Talley Lynn, his grandparents, and who can forget Paisley. Survived by his parents George and Judith Keene Roman, his siblings Suzanne, Timothy and LJ, his brother- in-law Todd, his sister-in-law Karen, his nieces and nephews, and by his best bud, Mark Dungan. He is also survived by the one who adored him, his support dog and companion, Twink.
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” May his Lord Jesus grant him peace.
“The hardest goodbye is when the story isn’t finished.”
========
“Gone to be with the Great Architect of the Universe to be admitted to the TEMPLE,
Not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Services will be held at 7:00 pm on Friday, July 22, 2022 at NICHOLS-GILMORE FUNERAL HOME, 212 E. Justis St. Newport, DE 19804 where visitation will begin at 6:00 pm. Interment with full military honors will be 1:00 pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Bear, Delaware.
August 9, 1976 – July 14, 2022
“Brandywine Historic Trail” –
Author
We lost our sweet son on Thursday July 14th, 2022.
Jay was taken into the arms of the Lord all too young, surrounded by his immediate family who loved him fiercely and cherished him dearly.
Jay’s courageous battle with cancer and war-induced demons was lost just before his 46th birthday.
About those demons…it’s unfortunate that many people only recently came to know Jay, and some who’ve known him all along have had their older, happier memories jaded by the experience of Jay’s struggles in recent years. Let us remind you what you missed.
Before life and experience transformed him into Jay, he was always our Jamie, and in some of our happiest moments, he was our Bobo. What you missed was the young prankster spying on big sister Susi and her dates (when he reportedly collected a quarter for every kiss he would witness and report back to his father). You missed the industrious youngster earning money and learning responsibility while cutting hundreds of lawns. You missed the carefree teenaged baseball player, learning under the practiced and patient eye of dear Coach Granny. You missed Eagle Scout Jamie, who worked diligently for years, and hiked some of the most challenging lands in the country, to earn that highest of Scout honors.
Jay was a graduate of Archmere Academy, Class of 94. Then came that interesting experiment Jamie called college. Apparently, it was a lot of fun. In between it all he dated some wonderful girls and young women and had the good fortune to fall in love a couple of times.
Jamie was the consummate caregiver. His career as an EMT and his ever-giving nature led him often to embrace those in dire circumstances. “I want to help them”, was always his mantra. He was one of the ambulance responders to the attack of the World Trade Center and a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Jamie was first and foremost a Patriot to his bones. He joined the Air Force while still a young man, and served proudly in the Delaware Air National Guard as an Air Medic, reaching the rank of Technical Sergeant. The Patriot’s call remained strong. His work for a number of years as a Paramedic (“Doc” to his team) for a private military contractor was challenging. He deployed multiple times with both to, as he called it: “One or another of the ‘Stans”.
After he came home, he began the painful change from Jamie to Jay. Jay was a different young man than the one who first shipped out, and we watched up close and for an agonizing duration of time as Jay fought valiantly against those demons that hitched a ride home with him and refused to leave him. The invisible wounds inflicted by PTSD are terrible to behold, and we can only imagine how terrible to endure. While still struggling with this tremendous burden, Jay was diagnosed with what proved to be an aggressive strain of cancer, likely the result of exposure to toxic material in remote postings assigned to Jay and so many of his brothers-in-arms. Through his protracted illness, Jay fought bravely. During that time, we saw flashes of the old Jamie and took those little victories when we could find them. He smiled when he could, gritted his teeth when he couldn’t, and never once regretted the life path that he chose, because he served.
He is predeceased by his sister, Talley Lynn, his grandparents, and who can forget Paisley. Survived by his parents George and Judith Keene Roman, his siblings Suzanne, Timothy and LJ, his brother- in-law Todd, his sister-in-law Karen, his nieces and nephews, and by his best bud, Mark Dungan. He is also survived by the one who adored him, his support dog and companion, Twink.
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” May his Lord Jesus grant him peace.
“The hardest goodbye is when the story isn’t finished.”
========
“Gone to be with the Great Architect of the Universe to be admitted to the TEMPLE,
Not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Services will be held at 7:00 pm on Friday, July 22, 2022 at NICHOLS-GILMORE FUNERAL HOME, 212 E. Justis St. Newport, DE 19804 where visitation will begin at 6:00 pm. Interment with full military honors will be 1:00 pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Bear, Delaware.