Jacob Latif Mesch was born December 14, 2000 to loving parents Leila Hotaki Mesch and Andrew Orwar Mesch, Jr., within minutes of his twin sister Kira Helen Mesch. A beloved son, brother, neighbor, and friend, Jacob lived his entire life in Portland, Oregon. He attended Chapman Elementary School, West Sylvan Middle School, and graduated from Lincoln High School last spring.

From a very young age, Jacob was captivated by the creatures of the sky. He shared his love of birds with many. Jacob also enjoyed all kinds of fishing – deep sea, river, off-shore, rock fishing – and cared deeply about conservation and ecology.

Jacob devoured books, and shared his passion for reading as a Summer Reading volunteer at the Northwest Library for many years. Inspired by a trip to Pearl Harbor as a young child, Jacob was particularly fascinated by history, especially military history, and the big questions it poses: How did this happen? Why? What does it mean? He had a strong sense of justice and often rooted for the underdog.

A determined athlete, Jacob rose at 6:30 am to practice shot put and discus, rising to become a top thrower on the Lincoln track and field team and in the state. But more importantly, Jacob was a mentor on the team, full of brotherly love for his teammates.

Jacob was all about people. He was sensitive, empathetic, and kind, even to his sister (most of the time). He developed relationships widely and valued them highly. He was funny, genuinely interested in people, and had a wonderful ability to put people at ease.

Jacob will be remembered as loving, full of life, enthusiastic, charismatic, loyal, and a natural leader. Jacob’s family wants the world to know how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. In addition to his parents and sister, Jacob is survived by his aunts Anne Mesch, Joan Heather, and Mari Hotaki; uncles Denis Heather and Kevin Mesch; grandparents Jana Hutcheson and Latif Hotaki and numerous cousins.

A Celebration of Jacob’s Life will take place Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 3:30 PM at the New Song Community Church, 2511 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97210. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Portland Audubon Society (https://audubonportland.org/ways-to-give/) or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (https://afsp.org/take-action/give-a-gift/).