Jude was a deeply caring and incredibly outgoing person, he carried himself with unwavering confi dence and resilience, he loved profoundly and built a community amongst friends that he never failed to show up for. Nothing I could write would ever truly convey the depth of the person Jude was. He was a humorous man with a story to tell and he was the life of every party, bringing laughter and conversation with him everywhere he went. Jude was a people person and while he had his disputes, there was rarely a person I knew him to meet that he wasn't able to connect with.

There could not have been a better time for Jude to come into my life than when he did. He was a rock when I needed one most, he opened his heart and his world to me and in doing so changed my life forever. The years in which I was blessed to love Jude fl ew by and through them I grew to admire the person he was, his resilience and unwavering confi dence, hearing him recount funny stories from diffi cult times showed that Jude was somebody who was able to see and make good out of any situation. I have countless fond memories of Jude and I, spending time at cottages through the summers, staying in Thornbury and Clarksburg- spending nights out or watching movies with Oreo and Georgie, travelling to Cuba and baking in the sun then snorkelling in the ocean with the family, I could go on forever. I will always cherish the memories I have of Jude and I, some claim their most prized possessions are material objects but in knowing grief I’d come to say to my most prized “possessions” are my golden memories of time spent with Jude- he helped me to learn so much about myself and the world, shaping me to be the person I am today. I remember when Jude fi nally got his fi rst car shortly after we had come back from our trip to Cuba in 2023, his beloved Dodge Challenger… which he accidentally backed into my neighbours car not a week after fi nalizing the purchase. He was elated when he fi rst began driving his car, I remember fi nishing school knowing he was waiting outside to pick me up, or blasting his music, going out for food, driving to parties or a baseball game or whatever he had planned for the night- he loved to spend time out in the world, meeting new people and experiencing new things. While Jude loved new experiences and to see new things, he also stayed immovably loyal to the things he grounded his love in, for example getting Pho from a Vietnamese restaurant he had been going to for years with a long time friend. One of the last times Jude and I spent time together was on a beautiful spring day, we spent some time in a park talking and went to get pho from the restaurant he loved so much. I remember talking about our lives and the goals we planned

to meet, Jude was known to change his throughout the years, electrician, police offi cer (shockingly so to some who knew him) but if my memory serves me right he’d been wanting to apply to college for the fall and pursue a program in fi refi ghting. I knew that anything Jude put his mind to he would be able to accomplish, he was so driven. Jude pushed me to work toward being the best version of myself, he saw me for the person I was and he understood my story as I did his. He showed me that although circumstances may be unfavourable, you can always make light out of dark given hope and connection.

Coming up on a year since having Jude in our lives, I feel the absence of this light more than ever, I reminisce on the joy, humour, and connection he brought to all scenes of life- no one works a crowd like he was able to. While I feel profound sadness knowing that he won't be showing up to the next party, loud and proud, it brings me some semblance of comfort to continue to build community and see the good in all bad, in honour of Judes take on life. Nothing diminishes grief, it is a heavy and constant feeling, but in taking Judes positive legacy, our joyous memories and the love we shared I fi nd comfort for my grief in knowing that all of these things, including part of him, live on in me and in all those who Jude shared his beautiful life with. I feel as though I could write for ages about the impact Jude left on the world, but I know he wouldn't want us to dwell on the past and instead celebrate in his honour.

I miss Jude everyday, his laugh and his constant smile, the comfort he brought, I think of the memories we will always share together, and I grieve his missing presence. He left a palpable impact on the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Jude will always be someone to play a lasting role in shaping me as a person and I cherish the parts of us I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I know that we have all felt his loss incredibly deeply and while it is bittersweet he would have been more than happy to see how life has progressed for everyone in the time that has passed. I know that Jude is somewhere up there carving his own path and showing people that you never have to stop putting yourself out there. Jude harbored profound love for those around him and while he may not be in this life anymore, his love is and it keeps his spirit alive and his community connected. I hope that he is able to continue to build community and share his story wherever he is now. I am eternally grateful for the time I was able to spend with Jude and the mark he left on my life. I wish him

an eternity of peace and partying and I hope that he is watching over us all, egging us on just as if he were here standing with us now.

Love always,

Fiona