Jason Charles Brandt, 49, of Omaha, Nebraska, passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, January 28, 2022, after a short, but hard-fought, battle with bile duct cancer.
Jason was born in Syracuse, Nebraska, on October 12, 1972, to proud parents Chuck and Lois Brandt. After a move to N Street as a youngster, this proud product of Norris Elementary went on to become a Millard South Indian (Class of ’91), a maroon-shirt-worthy Runza employee, and a DJ at Z-92. (You might have heard him on weekend mornings back in the early ‘90s if you were headed to Amigos for a Crisp Meat Burrito after a really long night.)
After studying broadcasting and journalism at the University of Nebraska (both in Lincoln and in Omaha), Jason moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee, and finished his college career as an English Lit major (bet you didn’t know that!) at the University of Memphis. It was in the Bluff City that Jason was first introduced to good barbecue and given the opportunity to do talent stats for the Memphis Tigers basketball team. When the Grizzlies came to town, Jason was the only stats man around, and for almost ten years, his left elbow could be seen sitting next to the play-by-play announcer for pretty much every televised Memphis (college or professional) basketball game.
While in Memphis, Jason met and married Jennifer. Together, they welcomed Chloe and Sadie, the joys of his life. Although Jason and Jen later parted ways, they remained committed to parenting their wonderful girls as a team—a team that expanded when Jen married Preston and Jason handed Gwen a post-it note asking her to be his wife. If you’ve had the good fortune to meet Chloe and Sadie, you know the parenting team was highly successful in rearing two delightful, compassionate, and talented young women.
Somehow along the way, Jason found a career in human resources—a profession for which he was ideally suited. A naturally charming fellow with a heart of gold, Jason had no trouble putting himself in the shoes of the employees under his care and making sure they knew that he was always on their side. And, as he moved up the career ladder by way of Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee (again), and Indiana (along with earning his MS in Human Resources from Villanova University), his coworkers became friends who turned into family.
In February of 2021, Jason made his last move—back to his home, Nebraska. Although living in his parents’ basement for four months isn’t exactly what a 48-year-old man envisions for himself, his and Gwen’s dream home was finished by June, and his job as Human Resources Director for the clean energy company Hexagon Agility was the pinnacle of his professional life—a job with a mission and coworkers that he simply adored. Countless times over the summer and fall months, Jason told Gwen, “I really couldn’t imagine our lives working out any better than this.” He could see his parents and sister, Stacey, any time he pleased, and he was surrounded by the friends of his youth—and the majority of his beloved Kappa Sigma brothers (all of whom should be very proud that Jason never showed Gwen the secret handshake—no matter how many times she asked). His yearly physical, however, altered their plans of happily-ever-after.
Jason is survived by the love of his life, Gwen; his greatest joys, Chloe and Sadie; his parents, Chuck and Lois; his sister and brother-in-law, Stacey and Ben Humann and their children, Braden, Faith, Ellie, and Makenna; his mother- and father-in-law, Pat and Randy Mitchell; his brother-in-law, Scott; more dear friends than any one man could ever deserve; and two adorable kitty cats, Salsa and Queso. Preceding him in death were his grandparents: Orval and Irene Schulte; Lester Brandt; and Dorothy Jilek.
Visitation will be held at Roeder Mortuary (11710 Standing Stone Drive) in Gretna, Nebraska, on Saturday, February 5, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., and the funeral will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 6, in Roeder’s Chapel. In celebration of Jason’s love of sports and music, we would love to see everyone in their favorite team’s colors or a cherished concert t-shirt for each service.
Burial will take place at Fischer Cemetery on Hawthorne Drive in Fort Payne, Alabama, on Saturday, February 12. Beforehand, however, all participants are asked to start lining their cars up for the processional at Wilson Funeral Home (3801 Gault Avenue, N) at 10 a.m., with a departure time scheduled for 10:30. The graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. after Jason has successfully pulled over every car in downtown Fort Payne.
In lieu of flowers, Jason and his family hope that you will donate to one of two charities: the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (cholangiocarcinoma.org), to help find a cure for the horrible disease that took him far too soon, or the WeIsStrong organization (www.facebook.com/WeIsStrong), to help ease the burden placed on families suffering from cancer.
However, to honor Jason most, please simply try to live your life the way Jason lived his—wholeheartedly and with no regrets. Talk to strangers. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Understand that money spent on concert tickets is an investment in your soul. Tip more than you should, but complain less than is warranted. Learn all of the words to your children’s favorite songs—and sing them in the car with them at the top of your lungs. Be a Level 39 Pokemon stud—even if you are almost fifty. Tell others “thank you” every chance you get—and mean it. Accidentally spend so much money on a vacation dinner that the name of the restaurant becomes a unit of monetary measurement for your family. Laugh with your entire body, and cry anytime you are overcome with emotion. Always buy the souvenir photo. Drink the good stuff. Don’t be afraid to take that scary new job or move to a city where you know no one. Don’t order the cheap sirloin when you know you want the ribeye. Say “I love you” whenever you feel the urge. Have a go-to karaoke song ready to go at a moment’s notice. Heck, you can even make up a fake band or get kicked off of Amazon (twice) for making fake (yet hilarious) reviews. (Long live McBowlerpimp!) Whatever it is, just live. Live, laugh, and love—just don’t buy that sign at Target that says so.
