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Bio

Jacob J Nyenhuis grew up on St. Simons Island, GA, and graduated with honors in 2006 from Glynn Academy High School. He died in the fall of that year in a car accident while returning to the University of Georgia, where he was a freshman. He was 18.

Jacob was a young man with a clear vision for his future. He began buying and selling real estate at age 15. He planned to study real estate development in college and build his own development company.

God gave him the spirit of an entrepreneur and also a heart of compassion. He cared deeply for his family and friends and planned to support them as his business grew. Trips to Africa and South America softened his heart to the needs of the world’s poor. He planned to use his business ventures to generate resources to support them as well.

A Father's Words

Nine weeks after Jacob's death, his father talked about Jacob's legacy to a gathering in their hometown of St. Simons Island, GA. Here is what he said:

Nine weeks ago our son, Jacob, was killed in a traffic accident on his way back to the University of Georgia. We continue to wrestle with God over this while we work through our deep pain and grief. At the same time we are absolutely assured of God’s love and mercy, of Jacob’s salvation and of our own. In these weeks we have seen in new ways that God is real and present, that Heaven is real and close by, and that Jacob now lives there and we will be with him again.

Jacob was a young man of big dreams who took practical steps to make them reality. He was voted by the Glynn Academy ‘06 graduating class as “most likely to succeed.” We have been wondering what that honor means now that he is gone. Here is what one of his classmates wrote to us:

"Jacob had such a future ahead of him. Maybe his succeeding was by him making all of us better people. I know he made me a better person. … I love Jacob and I can’t wait to see him again."

Another classmate wrote:

"I hope that everyone grows strong through this. Jacob would want his legacy to live on through all of us."

So, what is his legacy? I believe it is this:

Faith, in the saving grace of Jesus Christ
Integrity, unchanging values even as the world around him changed
Vision, to fully utilize the gifts he had been given
Compassion, showing kindness to family, friends and those in need
Adventure, a spirit that sought fun and exploration.

That is my son’s legacy. He has now passed it to me, to his mother, sister, friends and to our community. A new foundation we are creating in his name will honor that legacy here in our community and around the world for years to come.

Another classmate wrote:

I am deeply hurt to hear about the loss of Jacob because with all the changing everyone did over the years he stayed the same cool guy that anyone could talk to. We should not think of his moving to the promise land as losing a son, brother and friend, but as gaining an angel to look down on us.