Jaycee Jane Rotarius Obituary (2002

Jaycee Jane Rotarius passed away on January 9, 2019, at her home in Kuna, Idaho. Jaycee's parents are Jim and Staci Rotarius. Jim and Staci had a difficult time getting pregnant. They fought hard to have a baby and finally had success with Invitro Fertilization. Jaycee was born to Jim and Staci on January 26, 2002, in Boise, Idaho. She arrived with a full head of dark brown hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. As a baby Jaycee was attached to her parents, and quite shy. Her favorite baby food was carrots. As a young child Jaycee was kind and curious. She loved riding on airplanes. Jaycee grew up in Kuna, Idaho. Most of her early childhood she resided with her parents on a small hobby farm where she enjoyed caring for goats, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and cats. She didn't always love caring for them however. The first time she was assigned the task of cleaning out the chicken coup she stomped her feet for 300 yards muttering incoherently. Her dad attests if she had known any curse words at this young age, those were definitely them. While Jaycee enjoyed her time on this hobby farm, she became lonely. Jaycee convinced her mom and dad to try for another baby when she was just 4 years old. She told Jim and Staci very clearly that she DID NOT want a brother. A short time later her little sister Avery was born. Jaycee found her passion for softball at an early age. She began playing T-ball at the age of 5. She instantly loved it. As a young child Jaycee had many hobbies beyond softball. She also enjoyed camping, fishing, hiking and accompanying her dad while hunting. As Jaycee grew, she began to show interest in photography and art. She would spend much of her spare time capturing the beautiful outdoors. Some of her photos and drawings are on display here today. Jaycee made many friends during her short life. She cherished every single one of them. Jaycee loved those around her for who they were, without judgment. She often reminded her mom and dad to be kind. Jaycee's personality was larger than life. She loved to make other's laugh with her silly antics, crazy dance moves, and making funny faces. Jaycee loved listening to her mom's favorite music and discovering bands her mom grew up with. With every new introduction she would exclaim "Why did you wait so long to tell me about these guys?!". When driving to softball games Jaycee often wanted her mom to play Metallica's Enter Sandman to get pumped up. Jaycee's love of softball continued to grow as a teenager. She would write workout regimens on her mirror, inspirational quotes for motivation, and asked her mom to practice with her just about every day. Even through winter. Jaycee played for KYSBA, 2nd base primarily, and usually batted near the top of the lineup. She was able to compete in numerous tournaments including State and Regionals. Many of her awards, jersey's, and team photo's are also on display today. Jaycee loved softball so much that last season she was asked to help coach the team. Her coach Kris described her as a hard worker with a great attitude and having a ton of talent. Jaycee was an amazing big sister to Avery. Just a few short weeks prior to her passing, she used her lunch break from Initial Point to walk over to the middle school. While there she took a pen to the office and told office staff that she really needed to get this pen to her sister. Jaycee asked them to call Avery to the office. Jaycee hoped that she would get the chance to see Avery and check in on her. Office staff at the middle school opted to have the pen taken to Avery by another student so as not to disrupt her learning. This left Avery wondering why she needed that pen so badly. The last 2 years of Jaycee's life brought about big changes and more growth. Jaycee transferred from Kuna High to Initial Point. She acquired her driver's permit, and her dad was able to safely teach Jaycee how to drive a stick shift. She landed her first job at Artic Circle, and she loved it. Often telling her family about the friends that she worked with, the fun and mischief that was had, and really liked to brag about how fast she was able to make those milk shakes. Jaycee also enjoyed spending time with friends. Whether it was taking silly photos of one another, texting, listening to music, watching videos online, playing video games, sports or working out. Jaycee was constantly thinking about how she could better the lives of those around her. She even convinced her parents to take in a wayward friend for 6 months. Jaycee was planning for her future. She was trying to decide just what she wanted to be when she grew up. She had it narrowed down to a marine biologist, a traveling RN, or a flight attendant. She dreamed about seeing the world through travel and adventure. Family was everything to Jaycee. She loved spending time with her sister, father and mother. Jaycee was everything to her family. Jaycee is survived by her parents Jim and Staci Rotarius, her younger sister Avery, grandparents Philip & Peggy Rea, Tom & Julie Rotarius, in addition to many aunts, uncles, and cousins.