When Your Son Commits Suicide - Grieving Moms Finding Hope
Jacke ROse
Jacke Rose, founder of Grieving Moms Finding Hope, joins Sharon Betters to talk about her journey to find hope and purpose after the death by suicide of her son, Randy. The loss of a child cannot be fathomed, but Jacke’s son also unsuccessfully attempted to take the lives of his children, wife, and father-in-law. Jacke fearlessly shares her story of how God’s amazing grace has not only given her confidence in God’s grace but immediately bonded her daughter-in-love and grandchildren with her into a beautiful picture of His redeeming love as they lived together and navigated the horror of the loss of Randy. As two bereaved mothers, Jacke and Sharon talk about the importance of biblical lament, leaning into the pain of grief and intentionally incorporating Bible study, Christian music, and a circle of friends into everyday life. Jacke describes how women who join one of the Grieving Moms small groups often fill their first meeting with wailing and longing for their child but twelve weeks later, after digging into scripture with a group of like-minded women, express hope and a desire to comfort others with the comfort they have received.
As Jacke struggled to make sense of her son’s death, she prayed, “Dear Father, give me words from Heaven, into my heart, into my head, and through my hands. What do I do with the loss of my beautiful son?” And the Lord gave her these marching orders, “Give them Hope, Jacke.”
Jacke gives listeners hope in this conversation.
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Jacke Rose: Author of the book, Resurfacing, a twelve-week hope-filled guide designed to share with other grieving moms, and the Just Be Journal for grieving moms. Jacke, a grieving mother herself and a self-induced adventure junkie with a passion for life found refuge in an off-grid treehouse on the island of Hawaii, where she wrote the book.
No stranger to personal trials, in January of 2016, she faced an overwhelming obstacle, the death of her 30-year-old son, Randy, to suicide, a tragedy that left her, as well as his grieving wife and two young sons, devastated. Through all of this, Jacke continues to face challenges with a tenacious spirit of hope, which she brings to others through her retreats, Facebook Live, Zoom, and speaking engagements. Having blended these life challenges and passions, she has created a life she truly loves, using her talents to encourage others to find balance and purpose amid life's darkest moments.
Jacke's professional background as a Health, Wellness, and Fitness Consultant, coupled with her passion for seeing those around her triumph over life's greatest challenges, compelled her to become a certified Life Coach through The Life Coach Institute in 2010 and an Adventure Coach for The Ultimate SourceTM created by Kathrine Lee who was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Jacke’s always had a heart for community and launched an all-women mountain biking group called The Trail Angels in 1999, which became the country's most prominent club. Her love to help others continued on a deeper level, which led her to become a lay counselor in 2010 at Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, California, where she resided for 40 years.
Jacke has two other sons: Ryan Joseph Van Woerkom and Mitchell Anthony Van Woerkom. Ryan is married to Chelsea, and they have two little boys named Wyatt and Wade. Mitchell is married to Krysten, and they have two children: Greyson and my only granddaughter, Sawyer.
Marcai and Randy's sons, Noah and Jack, continue to seek Jesus for their healing. Marcai is now married to Rob and they’ve added another little boy to the family named Reed.
Jacke currently lives in Bend, Oregon, which she refers to as her giant playground for extreme sports and, most importantly, God's gift after losing her son to fulfill her love of the mountains. She named her ranch, The Just Be Ranch, welcoming all who visit to Just Be themselves and breathe.
