At twenty-eight years old, Stephanie Jackson lived a reality she never imagined. Just a few years earlier, she had stood beside Stuart, the man she called her soulmate, promising a lifetime together. They dreamed of raising children, traveling the world, and growing old side by side. Now she was a pregnant widow, left to raise their young son Dominic and carry a second baby without the man she adored. Life had been moving forward with so much promise, but it all came crashing down in one phone call.
Stephanie met Stuart when she was only twenty-three. He was quiet at first, so shy that their earliest exchanges were little more than greetings. When he finally opened up, she realized his heart was warm and his love was deep. He told her often that he knew from the first time he saw her that she was the one. Their bond grew quickly, and with her parents’ blessing, they married in 2013. From the very start, they spoke about forever, about celebrating a fiftieth anniversary one day, about never letting go of the love they had found so young.
Both were soldiers, and they served side by side in Jordan and Iraq. They leaned on each other through deployments, believing that home would always be wherever they were together. When they settled in Hawaii, life finally seemed to open a new chapter. Stuart was fighting hard to be in his son Maliq’s life, and together with Stephanie, he built a home where all the boys could feel loved. When Dominic was born, Stuart beamed with pride, telling Stephanie’s parents that his son had inherited his dimple. They were ready for another baby, and their joy was complete when they found out she was pregnant again.
Then came December 14, 2017. It was supposed to be an ordinary Thursday. Instead, Stephanie received a call from Stuart’s motorcycle club telling her he had been in an accident. She rushed to the hospital, but her worst fears were confirmed. The doctor told her that Stuart was gone. She screamed, she dropped to the floor, and she felt her world split apart. In her shock, she blurted out that she was pregnant, as if saying it aloud could make him stay. But there was no undoing what had happened.
The days that followed were filled with grief and disbelief. At his funeral, she stood tall even as her heart shattered. Dominic, still so little, waved to his father’s casket, saying “bye–bye dada,” words that broke the silence and filled the church with sobs. Stephanie promised herself that she would be the woman Stuart married and honor his memory as both a soldier and as the man who loved his family with all he had.
In January, at his military memorial, the sound of his name being called three times without an answer left the room heavy with silence. It was a moment that made the loss feel undeniable. Yet friends, fellow soldiers, and motorcyclists rallied around her, riding together in his honor and showing how deeply Stuart had touched the lives of others. Even through pain, his spirit inspired strength.
When Stephanie gave birth to their second son, Stuart II, her husband’s absence weighed heavily than ever. Surrounded by family and friends, she still felt alone, whispering through tears that he was supposed to be there holding her hand. But in her heart, she felt his presence. She knew he was with her as she brought their son into the world. Dressed in scrubs, Little Dominic welcomed his baby brother with pride, checking his heartbeat with a toy stethoscope. That small act became a reminder that life, though altered forever, could still move forward.
Now Stephanie raises her boys with Stuart’s love at the center of their home. There are nights when Dominic cries out for his dad and mornings when questions come without easy answers. She tells them often that their father is with them, that his love has not gone away. Stuart II will never meet his dad in person, but Stephanie is determined that he will know him through stories, photos, and the legacy of love he left behind.
Stuart lived humbly, giving more than he received, inspiring others to live fully and love deeply. His death left an unfilled space, but his life continues to shape the family he adored. Stephanie believes they will meet again one day, but until then, she carries him in her heart. “I loved him then, I love him now, and I will always love him,” she says.
