Hello, I'm Janell Ja'rae Thiessen and I'm Jerry Wayne Thiessen's youngest Daughter. I wanted to make a dedicated tribute for my Dad to help aid research and continue the fight against Pancreatic Cancer. Below is my experience with grieving my Dad before his Death, as well as somewhat of a biography of my Dad and what he did.

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   I remember my Dad asking me to come closer, that he had something he wanted to talk to me about. He told me he was Diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. This was just a few days before his birthday on September 29th, 2017 while he was still in the Hospital, He turned 62 this year. Around October 5th or 6th, I went to visit him while he was still bed-ridden in the hospital and he told me the Doctors gave him about 8 days - 2 weeks to live. This was absolutely devastating and tore me apart. My Dad and I debated, and decided that he would like to be at home where he was comfortable to spend his final days.

   I've been living with my Dad for about 5 years since I moved in with him when I was 14 and we've been together since, I'm 19 now and turning 20 on January 14, 2018. My Dad was the most supportive person I could ever ask for in my life, he made sure that I was loved, fed, had clothes on my body, and a roof over my head. He got me through some of the toughest times in my life where I didn't even want to be alive anymore and really supported and encouraged me and my art career more than I could have ever asked for.

   Of course he had his woes, but no one is perfect. I think honestly it's because he was a Dad. He was the funny-man to many people he knew and he deeply loved and cared for the well-being of his friends and family, my Dad would help them out in any way that he could whether it'd be listening to their troubles or providing them a couch to sleep on or a shoulder to cry on.

   My Dad was born on September 29th, 1955 and was the oldest out of his five other brothers: Randy, Danny, Curtis, Ronnie, and Ernie. His Mother's name is Joyce Thiessen and his Late Step-Father's name, which he considered to be his Dad, was Elmer Thiessen. He grew up during the Classic Rock era and loved rocking to Metallica, Korn, ACDC, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and even some local artists in Fresno like Hard n' Heavy/Pirate Radio when he went to work as a bouncer at The Bar, The Next Bar, and The Other Bar. In the 80's, my Dad had trouble with Alcoholism, but he made the choice on April 18th, 1986 to enroll himself into Alcoholic Recovery Program and has been sober for 30 years. He was also known in the Bar community not just for his Bouncer skills, but for his love and passion for shooting pool since he was a young boy. I've heard some of his friends call him "Pool-Shark Jerry" and that was pretty much what he lived up to, he may have been older and was shaky, but my Dad knew how to work that pool table. He enjoyed participating in pool tournaments and events, especially when they were with his friends and/or family.

   My Dad was a Son, Brother, Father, Uncle, Grandpa, and a friend to many people. It hurts to know that such an awful disease took away the Dad that I knew as a funny, loving, and supportive person in just 3 weeks after being diagnosed. I can only imagine how everyone is dealing with the loss of my Dad, regardless if you knew him well or not very much. He had an impact on many of us in our lives, and I can only speak for myself but my Dad really impacted me to keep surviving and to keep living because he believed it was something I deserved to have, he wanted me to have a better life and to support me to the best that he could and I want him to know, and I sure he knows, that I'm so proud to have had him in my life and as my Father for the 19 years that I got to spend with him.

   My Half-Sister Kari Thiessen Ramirez, born October 18th, 1977 and Myself, Janell Ja'rae Thiessen, born January 14th, 1998 are the surviving children of his.

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   Anything, even as little or as much as you want to give, will be directly donated to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. If my Dad had a significant impact in your life, or maybe you didn't get the chance to know him in life but still want to and only if you financially are able to, please donate. Not only for my Dad, but for everyone who is impacted and hurt by this horrible disease. We can find ways to diagnose, prevent, and treat cancer from taking away our loved ones from us.

Thank you,

Janell Ja'rae Thiessen