By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — As a 13-year-old, Jesse Hoehn had a vision for a project in Davidson — a skate park for kids of all ages to enjoy.

An avid skateboarder, Jesse was running out of places to enjoy his hobby in town. Locals weren’t keen having their parking lots or front steps used by skaters, so he figured a park would be the ideal solution.

“I have a lot of friends who are into it,” he said at the time. “There are no places in town to go anymore. We need stuff to do.”

The park never came to be, but the story shows a side of Jesse that held up over the years — a quiet, fun-loving kid who liked being with his friends and was passionate about the things that mattered to him.

This was the side of Jesse that came to mind last week as his parents, Mike and Carol Hoehn, grieved their son’s death.

Jesse, 25, was killed on Feb. 13 in a workplace accident along Highway 42 between Eyebrow and Keeler, where he was working in road construction.

Carol said Wednesday they were still coming to grips with the situation: “It’s like a nightmare.”

“You definitely don’t want to be making funeral arrangements for your children,” said Mike. “And here we are.”

Jesse was born in 1991 in Moose Jaw, when the family was living in Gravelbourg.

Later they moved to Assiniboia, and eventually arrived in Davidson in August of 2000, which became their permanent home.

Jesse graduated from Davidson School in 2009 and had worked for a few different employers, including the Town of Davidson and Pioneer, prior to his latest job.

He owned a house in town, and when he wasn’t working, his focus was usually on snowboarding.

“That was his best place to be,” said Carol. “When he wasn’t snowboarding, he was watching videos of snowboarding.”

For the full story, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.