In Memory of Jason M. Feldmeyer

The Jason Feldmeyer Scholarship Endowment

He was only five.  He was his dad’s only son and his best bud. Everywhere Dad went, he thought he had to go, no matter where it was.  His name was Jason.  He was a very active five-year old that never quit.  He loved life, his family and any kind of ball there was.  That included the golf ball.  Anytime Dad went to play, which wasn’t very often, Jason thought that he had to go along.  He was satisfied with that for a while, then, as he grew older and bigger, he decided he needed to swing the club and try to hit the ball as well.  So, at the age of seven, his golfing days began.

To his father’s surprise, Jason could hit the ball rather well.  It went from Dad golfing and taking Jason along, to Dad taking Jason golfing.  The more he went, the more he wanted to go. As time went on, Jason began competing in area golfing events.  He won several during his elementary and middle school years.  In high school, he played on the boy’s golf team, and competed in the Indiana Junior Golf Program (Mt. Dew Tour).  Jason lettered all four years in golf.  He and his team won the PAC Golf Championships in 1998 and 1999.  He played in the regional tournament in 2000 and qualified for the IHSAA State Finals which were played at Avon, IN.

After graduating from high school, in May of 2000, he signed to continue playing the sport he loved, at the college level, for Oakland City University.  He would attend Oakland City University, in the fall of 2000, and study Elementary Education. Practice started in the late summer for college golf.  Classes started shortly thereafter.  Everything was good.  Jason had a girlfriend he had dated since his junior year in high school.  He had a job working at R.E.M. bicycle in Jasper, IN.  Things were going his way.  He was happy. 

Then tragically, one rainy day in September, it all came to an end.  Jason lost his life instantly, in an automobile accident coming home from college.  Things changed for his family from that day on.  They had to go on, but how?  How do you pick up the pieces and move forward after losing an only son?  How do two younger sisters, who thought the world of their only brother, continue on with their lives?

Well, after a discussion with a colleague of Jason’s mother and her husband, and after giving it some thought, the family decided to establish the J.M.F. Memorial Scholarship Fund.  The money would be raised for the fund by holding an annual golf scramble in honor of their son and brother. There was now a plan and something to put their minds and efforts towards in memory of someone they loved so very much.  Jason’s dad began writing letters to several P.G.A. golfers hoping to get their support.  His mother began working on plans for the scramble and in June of 2001, the first J.M.F. Memorial Scramble took place at the Huntingburg Country Club (Jason’s home course).  It was very successful!

It is awesome and at the same time the family is able to help a high school senior to continue his or her education.  This event keeps the family going from one season to the next.  It is usually held at a course close to Jason’s hometown of Huntingburg, IN., and family and friends all come together, along with 240 golfers to make this event a success.  As Jason’s high school golf coach said shortly after his death, “He loved to play the game, and now we play in his honor.”

The scramble is now being planned for 2015.  It will be held on June 5th and June 6th at Huntingburg Country Club.  There will be a shotgun start for the morning session at 8:00AM.  The afternoon session will start at 1:30.  Meals will be served after each session.  There will be prizes awarded for first, second, and third place each day of the scramble, and one prize for the low gross team overall.

After the end, there’s still hope.  Hope that they will once again be able to bring a group of golfer’s together for a common cause, to keep their son and brother’s memory alive, and help others along the way!  Jason would have wanted it that way.  He loved life and he loved his family.  He believed in helping others.  He would be proud.

Find Out More About The Jason Michael Feldmeyer Memorial Endowment