ABOUT
Heather
Written by Jon:
Jon
Heather, an identical twin, is one of three and was born in Boston, MA.
She has been married to Kevin since 2000.
They have two college-aged kids.
(L to R: Heather, Kevin & Jon)
Written by Heather:
Jon grew up in a suburb of Massachusetts with three brothers and a sister. In his younger years, he had a knack for soccer, a curiosity about God and a good eye (and abilities) for construction projects. He got his undergrad at Gordon College and Masters at Bryant University. Jon has also coached high school and college soccer teams.
At his friend’s wedding, he met his wife Krissy. They were both smitten. His beloved mother had a premonition about Jon meeting someone at this wedding! The two travelled to Papa New Guinea, loved antiquing together and were figuring out the hectic day to day life of raising little ones, when an uninvited and unexpected diagnosis altered life forever.
A year after his wife’s cancer diagnosis, she passed away. Their children were 7, 8 and 10.
Among his earliest accomplishment as a single dad was making a dinner that consisted of only the color orange (think pizza, Cheetos and carrots).
Among his earliest challenges was being diagnosed with cancer himself, six months after losing Krissy. He goes in for scans every year to be checked.
His long beard (and luxiourous hair) are his trademarks, in a way. He uses them to create fear in people who may dare approach him. But beyond that tough exterior is a loyal man who is honest, gritty and thoughtful.
Jon has spoken at various men (and women’s) events, sharing lessons he has learned along the way. A mix of humor and an unapologetic rawness, he has left those listening with a new perspective on what it means to live and to grieve. As he is known to say, “Pain gets pain.”
His three children are now in their teens with one away at college. On weekends, you’ll find him taking his sons all over New England (and beyond) for soccer tournaments, watching movies and taking care of his small animal farm (domesticated animals that live in his home: two dogs and just as many cats).
He is slowly accumulating really cool pieces of old barn wood, pianos, tree stumps and wagon wheels to create what will undoubtedly be works of art.
And this self-named loner who feels conflicted about letting people in, now refers to his grief as a welcomed companion.
Jon is a father of three, a contractor and a former (decent) soccer player. He has a long beard, rides a Harley and claims not to like people. He attends church and struggles with the idea of faith but says that he’s never spent more time thinking about God.
Heather is a mom of two, a wife to Kevin and a pastor. She has two sisters and always thought that boys were weird (and she still does).
These two people became friends because of one very important person - Jon's wife Krissy. Krissy died of cancer in 2016. Her final request of her friend Heather was to stay close to Jon.
Despite his relunctance to 'like' people and Heather's aversion to 'guy' friends, they have been talking, laughing and arguing for seven years now.
They decided to press record. And they hope you listen in as they discuss grit, grace with a side of grief.
She went to Saint Anselm College. There she studied sociology - because she and her roommate wanted to be in all the same classes. In reality, journalism was her true passion. You will see that she likes to ask A LOT of questions and is genuinely curious about others.
Along the way she felt the pull to start digging into her faith. From a friend of a friend, they heard about a church in an industrial park that was for people who have given up on church but not on God. The magazine she served as editor folded and she was asked to serve as the church’s Kids Zone Director.
As time went on she felt an even stronger pull to become a pastor and was ordained in 2018. She received her Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership at Concordia university and now serves as the Executive Pastor.
None of this was in her plans. But she believes God has a better imagination than she does.
Constantly trying to bridge the gap between a real and loving God and those who need to be loved in a real way, Heather’s hope is to bring God’s love to all who will receive it, In a way that’s real and tangible. She’s living out one of the main principles of the Christian faith….loving others.
Her main focus is her husband and her kids. While also spending a lot of time with her extended family.
In between all of this (for reasons, I don’t get) she likes to exercise and ride her bike. Still taking the opportunity to help others in all things, she has ridden the Pan Mass 5 times to help raise money for cancer research. All proceeds benefit Dana Farber - the same place Krissy and I received treatments.