More on Selfe: quotes and anecdotes that didn't make the story

Bermudian Springs graduate Jordan Selfe left a strong impression with many before his tragic death from Burkitt's Lymphoma -- certainly more people than can fit into print.

Here are a few quotes and anecdotes that friends and family shared that deserve a place online.

Ryan Jenkins, friend

Jenkins and Selfe first met playing tee-ball. Jenkins said more recently, he looked forward to going to the beach with his best friend, and knew he always had his back.

"I'm not an overly religious person, but I know there must be someone up in heaven that needs him a lot more than we do down here," he said.

Jenkins mom passed away when he was in seventh grade and Selfe was one of the people who helped him work through the struggle. Jenkins said he hopes he can do the same for those in pain after Selfe's death, not that he's completely worked through it himself.

"I try to interact with people who are hurting the way he used to with me," Jenkins said. "There are no two losses that you can relate to each other quite the same way. It's always difficult."

Jenkins said the suddenness of Selfe's passing was something that left everyone feeling a little vulnerable.

"He was the biggest fighter in the world and doesn't take no for an answer," Jenkins said. "When he had a plan, he followed through."

Jenkins said he would honor that by fulfilling a promise to be a brother to Jenna, Selfe's 9-year-old sister, and a role model for Jared, Selfe's 21-year-old brother.

Jenkins said he and Selfe would razz one another about long-term relationships, but his relationship with Claire Spellman was one he wouldn't budge on.

"She's a saint in my opinion," he said. "She stayed with him through the whole thing and was so supportive."

Heather Strouse-Selfe, mother

No one suffers like a mother when a young person dies. Strouse-Selfe said she thinks about family trips to Sea World and Disney World, and how much Selfe wanted to protect Jenna.

One of the nurses helped Selfe pick out a heart pendant necklace to give to his sister before he passed.

Answering questions for her youngest child is of the most difficult parts of Selfe's passing.

"She's upset that her brother won't be here for her birthday (Feb. 23),"she said. "He couldn't help wondering how his sister would do, and was sad he'd never see her grow up or graduate."

Jacob Stimer, friend

On the high school football team, Stimer was Selfe's favorite receiving target. Stimer said he used to pick on his quarterback in the locker room for only working on his upper body.

"He only cared about the top half, not the bottom half," he said. "We would laugh about that."

Selfe was one of the unifying forces on the football team, Stimer said.

"Without him, I don't think our bond would have been as tight," Stimer said. "You knew he had good values and morals. He kept us all together."

Stimer was one of the friends that drove to South Carolina to visit Selfe before he passed. When it was time, he said there was no proper way to say goodbye.

"It runs through your head and you try to practice what you want to say," Stimer said. "You can't just say, 'it was nice knowing you and I'll always think about you.' You want to say so much more than that."

Adam Stroup, friend

Stroup wasn't up for a telephone interview but e-mailed his thoughts about the loss of a friend that he's held dear since they first played football together in fifth grade.

He said he will never forget making goofy videos in English class that made their classmates laugh.

Stroup said his father, current high school principal and former elementary school principal Roger Stroup, frequently told him how Jordan would visit Jenna in the elementary school.

He said the family was accommodating when they visited in South Carolina before Selfe passed.

"His little sister made us woven rubber band bracelets that I still wear to keep a piece of him with me everyday," Stroup wrote. "I will never take another handoff from him or run another fast break with him, but I will always remember the good times we had."

Chris King, Bermudian Springs track & field coach

King said Selfe was one of the most coachable kids he'd worked with. He had his first experience working with him in Little League baseball.

"He was a driven, hardworking kid," King said. "He wasn't real vocal but he was one of those kids that led by example.

Tom Flaherty, Bermudian Springs basketball coach

Flaherty's said Selfe was a good teammate who never showed any quit on a basketball court.

"He tried to do whatever we asked of him," Flaherty said. "He wasn't real tall, but he was tough and wanted to be physical when guarding people."

Jon Defoe, Bermudian Springs football coach

Like Selfe's other coaches, Defoe remembers how little he had to worry about Selfe because he took care of himself and those around him.

"As a quarterback, he used his feet when he needed to, had a good arm and a good head on his shoulders," Defoe said. "He was naturally gifted athletically and could get out of difficult situations."

Add your own

If you have a story about Jordan Selfe that would help others remember him fondly, leave a comment on the blog. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this story.