Changed Guestbook Link
10/1/09
Changed the Guestbook url to combat spammers. Guestbook is now at:
http://jodywirawan.com/guestbook/jody.php
Thanks,
Anita
New Site About Jody
8/31/09
Hi Everyone,
I'd like to announce a new website about Jody up at:
http://www.jodywirawan.com
What's different?
We've drawn on ideas from the memorial blog and made it into a more well rounded website. One of the problems with the blog format was that it was difficult for people to navigate and see all the content. So at this new site there are dedicated sections like a gallery for pictures/videos/cards and a page for stories. The blog will still be there but it'll now be a place where updates and edits are announced so that it's easy to keep up with new things that are posted.
I'd like to give major credit to Jennifer for the concept and construction of this website. No doubt it's a monumental task to have to build any site from scratch. But she also had extra challenges like transitioning content from the blog, making it accessible to people from parts of the world with vastly different (and conflicting) web access, and above all making sure that the site expresses who Jody was as a person. It's amazing and I couldn't be more proud of how it turned out. And after watching all the work that went into it I have to say that I have serious respect for people who design websites :).
The Guestbook
I think the most interesting part about this new site is the guestbook. Yes it's a place for visitors to the site to leave messages or comments...but it also goes beyond that and draws on things people have written in other places about Jody. It's a collaborative effort and I think over time it will tell a unique (and unpredictable) kind of story. It's just starting out right now so feel free to add something yourself, it's open to anyone at any time:
http://jodywirawan.com/guestbook/jody.php
September Story
Lastly, September is here and this is a heartbreaking month for anyone that knew Jody or even for those that just knew of his story. Twenty-two is too young for anyone to die and it's easy to get overwhelmed thinking about all the things he won't get to do. It's only natural to think about absence when someone dies, but what about their life?
We all knew Jody in different ways and have different stories to tell about him. I want to tell you about one part of his life that most people don't know about but was an important part of who he was. It's not finished right now but I'll be posting it in the next few days on the Stories page. Anyway until then please take a look at the new site, hope you like it!
http://www.jodywirawan.com
Thanks,
Anita
Update:
The story about Jody mentioned in this post is now up at his memorial:
http://jodywirawan.com/stories.html#gerald
Jody Wirawan Memorial Birthday Card
2/26/09
A card commemorating the birth of Jody Michael Wirawan. Jody was born on February 26th, 1986 at a naval hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. The picture on the front of the card is from Jody's first birthday party in Depok, Indonesia. The inside has pictures from his childhood and high school graduation. And the back has Alaska's state flower, the Forget Me Not.
Click on pictures for larger view.
Jody Wirawan Memorial Video
1/1/09
A video about the life of Jody Wirawan (1986 - 2008):
Eulogy For Jody Wirawan
This is a eulogy for Jody Wirawan read by one of his sisters at his memorial:
I'd like to start off by saying thank you all for being here today. I'm not sure how to express how happy I am to be surrounded by so many people who have come to honor and celebrate Jody's life. I know that you and I might not know each other and we might not have even met before this afternoon. But you're here because you care about Jody and so to me that makes us family.
It's become clear to me that words can't adequately describe the meaning and value of Jody's short life. And when I think about everything he had to go through over the years it makes me want to be bitter at the injustice of it. But that's not how Jody lived his life. He faced so much adversity but he still chose not to be bitter. He chose to have a good heart and I want to honor that.
Jody Michael Wirawan was born on Wednesday, February 26th 1986 in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the time our parents were still together but their marriage was falling apart. They fought almost every night. And even though they had just had an adorably handsome baby boy, neither of them could keep it together long enough to give Jody the attention that he needed.
Not long after Jody was born our parent's marriage ended and Jody, Mom and I moved to the U.S. We lived in Michigan and Texas before coming to Alaska, the place he called home.
Growing up I couldn't have asked for a better little brother. I tried to teach him the important things in life: you know, like how to rollerblade and play baseball. Jody wasn't real crazy about those things but he'd do them anyway because he knew that I liked them. His favorite thing was to play video games on the new Nintendo that Dad had just sent him. Jody would spend hours playing Mario Brothers and perfecting each level. A lot of times I'd play too and we would each take turns using the one controller. Even though I'd be more cautious than he would and take a lot more time, he was always patient and would wait his turn without complaining. Those were some of the best times in my life and I spent them with my little brother.
He never lost that sense of compassion as he got older. As the years went on he was faced with more and more impossible situations but he continued to make the choice to be a good person. There were a lot of times in his life when food was scarce and he went hungry. But instead of becoming bitter about it he became someone who was more likely to share food with others. The last time I ever saw Jody he stayed at our house for a week, and the day before he left he came home with a bunch of grocery bags packed with food. He quietly went into the kitchen and stocked up our cupboards as a way of saying thank you for having him over. That was Jody.
When I talk to people about my brother the one thing everyone seems to remember most is the way he walked...you know what I'm talking about all puffed out and proud of himself. And he should be. When I found out that Jody had joined the Army I was really worried at first. But after talking to him about his job and how proud he was of what he was doing I couldn't help but smile. He told me that he'd visited Ground Zero and the Pentagon and had been moved by the experience. This was one of the things that made him want to join the Army. I told him that I was proud of him, and I still am.
Jody had wanted to have a big family. A few months ago we were having dinner and he asked me how many kids I was planning on having. I said probably just two and then asked him if he ever thought about having kids. He puffed up his chest in that way that he does and proudly told me that he was planning on having six kids.
I was really surprised and said well, that was a lot to take on and maybe he might want to try having 'em one at a time and see how it goes. He laughed but his mind was made up. He'd been thinking about it for a long time and wanted to have exactly six. When I asked him why, he said that he knew somebody who was a father to six kids and that it had inspired him. I thought it was amazing that he'd want to have any kids at all considering everything he'd been through in his own childhood. But that was Jody.
He knew that a person wasn't defined by the cards they were dealt in life, but by how they chose to live it. I was never so proud of him as when he said he wanted to have a big family and to give them a good life. I wish he would have had a chance to make his dream happen. Twenty-two is too young for anyone to die, but especially for someone who had survived so much and had wanted to do such good in the world.
Jody was the best brother I could have ever asked for. He was a good friend and a patient listener. I'll miss his sense of humor and how he could always crack a cheesy smile at just the right time to make you laugh. I'll miss playing video games and watching movies together. I'll miss picking up the phone and hearing "Heeey Anita, what's new with you?" But most of all I'll miss hearing him say "I love you Sis."
I love you too Jody.
Jody Wirawan Memorial Card
12/20/08
This card was given out at the memorial that was held for Jody at the University of Alaska Anchorage :
Jody Wirawan 1986 - 2008
12/12/08
Jody Wirawan was born on February 26, 1986 in Jakarta, Indonesia. He moved with his family to the U.S. not long after he was born and lived in Michigan and Texas before finally settling in Alaska at age 10. Much of his childhood was spent homeless or in foster care, but he worked hard to stay in school and eventually graduated from Bartlett High in 2004 and went on to attend the University of Alaska Anchorage. He had visited Ground Zero and the Pentagon shortly after the 9/11 attacks and was deeply moved, inspiring him to serve his country in the U.S. Army after college.
Jody attended basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia where he excelled at being a soldier, getting the highest score in his unit on warrior skills and tasks as well as a perfect score on his mortar exams. Afterwards he was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas and his unit was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in Iraq for over a year as the armorer for his unit, a job he did with great dedication and pride.
Jody was the best brother and son anyone could ever ask for. He's an inspiration to those who knew him because despite facing countless hardships in life he still chose to be a kind and caring person. Even though he experienced much adversity in his own childhood he had wanted to have six children and provide them with a loving home.
He came back from Iraq in 2008 and had planned to serve his community as an Alaska State Trooper after completing his enlistment with the Army. However, a few days before he was to return home he died in Killeen, Texas during an altercation at his apartment which ended with him shooting another soldier before turning the gun on himself.
He is survived by his father Joe Wirawan and mother Kitty Kohli; foster father Russell Pressley; sisters Anita Wirawan, Jennifer Grattan, and Amelia "Tsunami" Wirawan; and brother Nabil "Barry" Wirawan.
He was preceded in death by his beloved grandmother Florence Kohli.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial donations be sent to Covenant House Alaska.
