Student remembered at new Lyman Lake pavilion

Last Saturday, under a clear blue sky with warm sunshine, around 50 people spent the day just the way Jackson Cowdrey would have–on the bank of Lyman Lake.

The lake was a favorite spot for the 2014 graduate of Greer Middle College Charter High. He had lived on the lake prior to moving to Greer, and continued to spend many hours on the water and at the Lyman Lake Lodge.

“Jack played baseball from the time he was 5 or 6 until he graduated from high school,” said his mom, Kristel Cowdrey. “He loved baseball, but he was quick to tell people, ‘Baseball is my hobby. Fishing is my passion.’”

Jackson was not only passionate about fishing, he was successful at it. He and his fishing partner, Samson Faulk, won several tournaments including the last two they fished together in October 2018. Jackson took home the title for big fish in the last of those, and Samson won big fish in the first.

Those wins followed Jackson’s first big victory when he became champion of the SC Junior Bassmaster fishing tournament for his age group on November 14, 2009.

Only nine years later, that date would become memorable for another reason.

“November 14th is a special date in Jackson’s life. On Nov. 14, 2018, Jackson received his eternal reward and began his life in heaven,” Kristel said.

Then a senior at Anderson University, Jackson was killed in an automobile accident when his vehicle collided with a tractor trailer on I-85 during dark, rainy conditions.

In his memory
“When Jackson passed away, people asked where they could donate money in his memory,” Kristel said. “I was so numb, I can’t remember exactly how, but we decided to put a bench at the Lyman Lake Lodge.”

Kristel’s sister Marcia Proud set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the memorial bench with a goal of $1,000.

Instead, the fund raised raised $6,200 in a six-week period, humbling Jackson’s family.

“As the fund continued to grow, so did the plans for Jackson’s memorial at The Lodge,” Kristel said. “It seemed only fitting to donate a pavilion/picnic shelter to the place he enjoyed so much. Jack spread light, hope and grace wherever he went. It is our hope that others will experience these things as they enjoy the beauty of Lyman Lake and this picnic area.”

In addition the donated funds, several businesses and organizations jumped in to help. The family was granted a spot on the lake by the lodge, and Justice Concrete poured the sidewalk and slab for the pavilion at their cost. Carter Lumber in Easley donated all of the lumber below cost, and SJWD has offered to pay for a memorial plaque to go by the shelter.

Last weekend, between 40 and 50 of Jackson’s loved ones showed up to complete the build.

Family friends Andy Morris and Steve Boalt stepped in to oversee the project with contracting and building experience. Their wives, Heather Morris and Tina Boalt, and other friends provided lunch and beverages to the volunteers.

By the end of the day, the group had created a 20x20 stick-built structure featuring a pitch roof with architectural shingles on a diamond cut concrete slab.

Kristel is working with Kyle Gillespie of Gillespie Marble and Monuments in Greenville for design and layout of a plaque to be mounted on an adjacent stone pedestal.

“After we finished construction on Sunday, my two best friends and I got out our lawn chairs and enjoyed the peacefulness of the lake under the shade of the shelter,” Kristel said.

She believes her son would have had a somewhat different reaction.

“Jackson was witty and had a great sense of humor. He would have an amusing or sarcastic way of saying, ‘What?? All of this for me??’”

Lasting legacy
Jackson was working full time to pay his own way through college. He maintained his GPA, was well respected by the faculty and students at Anderson University, according to his mom.

“May 12 would be Jackson’s graduation day,” she said. “His girlfriend of two years will wear two tassels…one for herself and one for Jack. The university will be presenting us (his family) with Jackson’s honorary posthumous degree (Economics/Finance).”

Kristel hopes to return often to the pavilion and looks forward to family picnics and one day taking her grandchildren to the lake to share stories about Jackson.

She also hopes that the pavilion will have a deeper purpose for the community.

“My hope for the shelter is to keep Jackson’s memory alive as well as be an opportunity to share the basis of my hope and faith, Jesus Christ. I truly did not think I could go on living if something happened to one of my children, but here I am five-and-a-half months after Jack’s death learning to find a new normal and joy in spite of my tremendous loss. That is not something I could possibly do on my own…it is evidence of God’s grace and faithfulness. I hope people find the same enjoyment in the lake that Jackson did.”

jholcombe@greercitizen.com | 877-2076