Obituary of Jessica Elizabeth Floyd
“A loving heart, larger than you could find almost anywhere else.” “A beautiful soul.” “Those twinkling eyes: delightful, but sometimes a bit mischievous.” And, always:
“That beautiful smile: a smile that lit up the room and brought joy to everyone who saw it.”
Those are just a few of the descriptions for Jessi that come from her friends and family.
Jessica Elizabeth Floyd passed from this world and entered into everlasting life on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, the “Feast of the Holy Innocents”—a date many feel was not a coincidence.
Jessica was born on September 7, 1970 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents were Douglas and Patricia (McNamee) Vlchek.
More than anything else, Jessi was completely focused on her family, especially her children: Elizabeth Martin, Kyle Winslow, and Joshua Floyd, as well as her grandson, Samuel Ricken. Consistently, she would host a weekly “family food night”, when her children, her children’s friends, and her nieces and nephews would fill Jessi’s modest but comfortable home, being nourished by her love as well as dinner and laughter.
Jessi loved to travel. She took trips to visit her mother and father, Pat and Doug, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, especially for a yearly pilgrimage to their home on Thanksgiving Day. She said, many times, that Wyoming is where she eventually wanted to live.
She loved visiting Walt Disney World in Florida with her children, her parents, as well as with her brothers and sister. Recently, she talked about how much she loved the two-week trip to Ireland that she took in late summer of 2019 with her parents, her brothers (Fred Vlchek and Jason Vlchek), and sister (Heather Hunter). Countless times since then, she said, “Please take me back to Ireland, NOW!”
And, then, there are her friends. Jessica had dozens of close friends whom she loved, and who loved her. There were so many evenings when Jessi and her friends could be found at a restaurant or “drinking establishment” just enjoying life and each other. And one would find many other days when they were doing yoga together (Jessi was yoga instructor) or some other fitness activity (Jessi was also a personal trainer).
Firm in her Catholic faith, Jessica was a member of Our Lady of Loreto Roman Catholic Church in Foxfield, Colorado. Those who were closest to her know that Jessi prayed for them constantly. In late 2021 she was engaged in a year-long personal Bible study.
Jessi was fiercely loyal to her family and her friends, as well. She had a constant need to be learning something.
Professionally, Jessi had a number of careers: she spent time as a cosmetologist right after high school. She completed her associates degree as a paralegal and worked for Arapahoe County, Colorado for a number of years. And, as most of you know, she spent all of the last few years as the fulltime caregiver for her son, Josh.
Jessica’s Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 am on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church in Foxfield, Colorado. Everyone is invited to a party to celebrate her life (this was Jessi’s expectation!) which will be held at an Irish pub following the funeral. Details on that party coming soon.
The Funeral Mass will also be live-streamed for those who are unable to be physically present. To access the live-stream, go to the Our Lady of Loreto website and click on the link “Funerals”
Internment of Jessica’s cremains is planned for May 8, 2022 (Mother’s Day) at Our Lady of the Mountains Roman Catholic Church in Jackson, Wyoming.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation to The Joshua School in Denver (specialists in educating children with autism spectrum disorders) in Jessica’s name. Those contributions can be made at: joshuaschool.org/donate
