Jesus "Jesse" Homero Cervantes Jr.

Jesus Homero Cervantes, Jr., “Jesse”, passed away unexpectedly on September 28, 2024. His life was full of family and friends who loved him deeply. In the beginning, it was his Mom, Denise, Dad, “Big” Jesse, & sister, Rachelle. The Cervantes family of three became a family of 4 with “Little” Jesse on March 24, 1987, & soon after Manny joined the party. Together, this collection of big personalities & even bigger dreams made their way through the Salt Lake Valley, starting in West Jordan, and then moving to Draper. Often, Jesse & Manny would be mistaken for twins, as they shared most things, down to the style of their clothes & to the way they wore their hair. You would think that would change as they grew into adults but in truth, the similarities only grew with time. From their choice of careers to where they chose to raise their kids, Manny & Jesse grew up moving forward together.

Trips to California to visit their cousins, aunts & uncles, & grandparents in California brought stories of sleepovers, mischief, & laughter. Those years set the stage for Jesse who would later go on to model his life, learning lessons in life from the men & women he admired so much. 

Jesse was unique in his interests & the early years of adolescence brought the discovery of the “other loves" of his life. We can thank Uncle Paul for his video game obsession and his passion for the ever-changing landscape of technology that would become the basis of his vocational success. Music in so many forms also held a large space in his life. Music went from a form of entertainment to a hobby. Jesse loved to play out as a DJ and from his introduction to electronic music to teaching himself music production, music was an interest that would bring him joy throughout his life. From his first visits to Mechanized to making original songs under the banner of Impure, Potentially Deadly & performing at so many events with his flagship group “The Fractured Minds”, he lived for the moments where he shared his love of music with the EDM community. 

Jesse had a talent for making friends. He would argue that his friends were the most important thing he took away from his school years. Once you were in, it was clear that you were in for life. Jesse loved deeply. He laughed, he celebrated. He played all out every single time. This penchant for engrossing himself in his circles of people would continue through every chapter of his too-short life. Be it family, school, work, music or, most recently, our sports families - you were now one of his.

It was within one of his many circles he was introduced to the love of his life, Brittany. It was Jesse’s brother & sister that made an introduction happen that would change his world in an instant. Jesse met Brittany on her 21st birthday at a roulette table in Wendover. From that night on, Jesse & Brittany ran head first into what would become a beautiful, plentiful, life full of memories made & dreams come true. The year 2015 was one they considered “the landmark,” shifting from two crazy kids to a family. Starting with the purchase of their home in January, to June with the dream white wedding, and closing with the birth of their son Alfie in December the year was full of celebrations & accomplishments from start to finish.

The arrival of Alfie marks Jesse’s final and most important role - father. He was passionate about providing a life of opportunity for Alfie. This drive pushed him to new heights in his career, making goals & teaching himself new skills helped carry him into his dream role of becoming a Level 4 Software Engineer. He was intelligent & thoughtful in how he crafted his world. Jesse understood the importance of close relationships & time spent one-on-one. Alfie will always be able to hold his memories of playing games of all kinds, watching movies (no, not his beloved horror films), working on puzzles, building Legos & enjoying delicious food. Jesse’s most recent commitment to fatherhood was to share his love of his high school athletic pursuit, Lacrosse. Jesse was thrilled when Alfie expressed interest in learning the sport. He loved his time coaching & spending time teaching Alfie lessons in sport & life. 

Jesse was coaching Alfie’s Lacrosse game when our beloved father, husband, son, brother, and uncle suffered a heart attack. At the unimaginable age of 37, he suffered cardiac arrest due to an unknown genetic medical condition. The family would like to thank each of the first responders, hospital staff at St. Mark’s Hospital, & most notably the parents who provided emergency services on site. 

Jesse is survived by his wife, Brittany (Turnbow), son Alfonso (Alfie), parents Denise & Jesse Cervantes, sister Rachelle Hague (Jon), brother Manuel Cervantes, nieces & nephews, Harper, Zephyr, Giovanni, JJ, & Grandfather James Skokan. He leaves behind many, many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and wonderful friends. He is preceded in death by his Grandmother Diana Skokan, Grandmother Nohemi Cervantes, Aunt Betty Magnan, & Uncle Robert Culbertson.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 11:00 am at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E 10600 S, Sandy, UT 84092. A viewing will be held prior to services in the same building from 9:30 - 10:30 am. An additional viewing will be held Thursday night, October 10, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Larkin Sunset Gardens.