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November 1, 2009

Family, friends mourn death of Jodi Esquivel

REESHA BROWN

Halloween was usually a joyous occasion and family tradition for Justin and Jodi Ann Esquivel, but once family members received news of Jodi’s death Friday, the holiday did not seem worth celebrating this time around.

“We would go the church and go to the fall festival and she would come up with themes every year,” Justin, Jodi’s husband, said. “This year, my little girl was going to be that cat in the hat.”

Port Arthur native Jodi Anne Green, was a gift to many friends and family in the community and in her family. Born December 25, 1981, Jodi was raised in Nederland and graduated from Nederland High School in 2000 then Texas A&M; University with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2005.

An eighth grade teacher at C.O. Wilson Middle School in Nederland, Jodi touched many lives in and out of school, including her husband, who said Jodi molded him into the person he is today.

“She made me a better man and a better father,” Esquivel said. “Her personality complemented mine so well.”

Full of life, vibrant and extremely spiritual, Justin said, even though she has moved on, her spirit will continue to touch him through his daughter Hallie’s laughter.

“She (Jodi) made her child laugh,” Justin said. “She (Jodi) was just like her (Hallie), my child takes after her and her personality will live on through her.”

After a two-year struggle with kidney cancer, Esquivel died at Beaumont Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospital at the age of 27.

While in the early stages of her second pregnancy, Esquivel learned of her cancer diagnosis after months of back pain. Results of an MRI showed a cancerous tumor in her kidney which affected her internal organs.

The baby did not make it through the cancer treatment and died.

With an extremely spiritual personality, Justin said cancer was not strong enough to oppress the family’s high spirits.

“All of her decisions were based on her belief in God,” Justin said. “That’s what made my love for her so easy; she was just a great mom and wife.”

Faced with many challenges within the last year’s of Jodi’s life, Justin said there is still one more hurtle to handle, explaining Jodi’s death to their three-year-old daughter.

“The good thing is that she’s three-years-old and she’s been around when her mother had cancer and she kind of thought that’s just the way mommy was,” Justin said. “I told her and explained to her that mommy and daddy love her, but I know she’s going to wake up one day and wonder where she is. I just keep telling her it’s going to be OK.”

Jodi’s death would have been more of a challenge to overcome, but because the community expressed so much love for Jodi before and after her death, Justin said this experience was a lot easier to get through.

“So many people were drawn to her and the fact that everybody knew about her illness and loved her, it made this situation a lot easier,” Justin said.

Jodi will be honored in a memorial service at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at First Baptist Church, 400 Grant Ave. in Groves.

rbrown@panews.com

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