Texas Stars help Jarrell fire raise money to memorialize firefighter

JARRELL, Texas - It’s been about a year and a half since the Jarrell Fire Department lost one of their own, Jake Owen. 

While working as an engineer and driver for the fire department, he did a lot to help others.

Texas Stars help the Jarrell Fire Department

The backstory:

On Wednesday night, the Texas Stars and hundreds of others returned the favor to the Jarrell Fire Department, which was asking for help memorializing him.

"Just somebody that you couldn’t help but love. He had an infectious smile," said Ron Stewart, Jarrell’s Fire Chief. "He’s just one of those people that, when you meet him, you feel like you just knew him." 

At just 25 years old, Jake Owen died from a brain tumor.

Williamson County firefighter Jake Owen died from brain cancer on Oct. 2

"It changes everyone, everyone that knew him," said Craig Owen, Jake’s dad. "It changes the department."

"It's horrible that we are in the place that we are, but Jake, his heart, who he was, you know anybody that was around him, loved him, his smile was contagious and he was very well known for his hugs," said Owen.

The Jarrell Fire Department wants Jake’s smile memorialized outside station 2, his home base.

"The memorial, which will have his photo and kind of his story, like you were just asking about his story, we want people to be able to know Jake for generations to come," said Stewart.

But it costs $3,500 to $5,000 for a plaque. 

Dig deeper:

Wednesday night, Texas Stars fans purchased green Nerf pucks and threw them onto the ice. A portion of the proceeds will help the Jarrell Fire Department get a memorial for Jake.

The encouragement they’ve received so far doesn’t come as a shock to Chief Stewart.

"It's not a surprise to us because this is the kind of support we got from January to October and then after Jake passed," said Stewart. "The support, you know, from all over. The support from the neighboring fire departments, and I’m talking about in this county, Travis County, Bell County, all over Central Texas. It’s the kind of support that our citizens and our community has shown and their love for us because they knew how much we loved Jake."

Eventually, they hope the single plaque will turn into a small garden, which will be open to everyone.

"We want his name to live on and the quality and the type of person he was. We want people to remember him," said Owen.

What you can do:

Even after the game, the Jarrell Fire Department will take donations for Jake’s memorial to the Venmo @ron-stewart-17. 

An expanded memorial will likely cost five figures. His parents also have a foundation under Jake’s name to financially support the next generation of firefighters.