Jessie Morales, 20, died in a car accident on Jan. 8.
Courtesy of the Morales family
Jessie Morales stood just 5 feet, 5 inches, and weighed 155 pounds. He was the smallest player on his Division I rugby team at Queens University.
But he had “the biggest heart” of anyone on the squad, Queens rugby coach Frank McKinney said.
“He started probably about 75 to 80% of our games and that’s just because of his work ethic,” McKinney said. “As a coach, what he taught me is the old saying, ‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.’”
Morales’ big heart, contagious smile and lively personality combined with his work ethic to make him a beloved teammate. His compassion and dedication to his family made him a treasured older brother and son.
Both roles were lost earlier this month when Morales, 20, died in a car accident when his vehicle went off a bridge.
His Jan. 8 death comes just over seven months after Morales’ 15-year-old younger brother, John Daniel, was shot and killed in Charlotte.
Melissa Morales, Jessie’s mother, and Daisy Morales, his sister, said they are still in a state of shock and grief, and ask each other if there is some sort of curse on their family.
“We talk every day before we go to bed, and we tell each other how much we love each other, and how much the boys would want us to live and and we’d love to live for them,” Melissa Morales said.
Jessie and John Daniel Morales pose for a photo. Courtesy of the Morales family
‘He wanted to help people’
Jessie Morales planned on being a nurse, inspired by his mother’s profession and the care he saw his brother, John Daniel, receive after he was shot near an east Charlotte park May 29, 2022.
John Daniel died two days after being shot. Two 15-year-olds were arrested June 2 in connection with Morales’ death.
Jessie didn’t leave either his mother’s or his brother’s side for the two days John Daniel remained in the hospital, his mom said. And after witnessing a nurse in his brother’s ICU unit, Jessie decided he would like to work there, as well, to help other families like his.
Morales was a junior in Queens’ nursing program with above a 3.5 GPA, McKinney said.
Jessie always wanted to help people, Melissa Morales said. He submitted paperwork to serve as a Marine before he decided to pursue nursing.
“He wanted to help people and he wanted to be a travel nurse once he had two years on his belt,” Melissa Morales said.
He viewed his friends as family and wouldn’t let a day go by without checking in on them, Daisy Morales said. He would frequently tutor his friends and classmates for free and he was such a fun person — and talented dancer — that he was asked to be part of many quinceañera courts during his teen years.
Jessie Morales was a nursing student and rugby player at Queens University. Courtesy of the Morales family
‘His smile was infectious’
Jessie Morales’ passion for athletics extended beyond rugby. He also coached and worked as a referee at Strikers Soccer Center in Huntersville, a soccer program for children ages 4 and up. He began working at the center at age 14, his mother said.
Strikers shared a GoFundMe started by the Morales family to help cover funeral expenses, with a statement that read: “He had been part of the Strikers family for many years. His smile was infectious to us all. We hope our community can come together to honor Jessie and the joy he has brought to the world.”
Queen’s rugby team is trying to find a way to honor Jessie on their socks or jerseys so he can be remembered by that athletics community, as well, as they play.
Outside of sports, Jessie Morales was a lively person who lifted up the spirits of everyone around him, his family said. He played instruments, including piano and guitar, and he loved to sing in the shower. Melissa Morales said even as a young child, she could hear the joy in his voice.
Jessie loved an array of different foods the family is planning to make during the nine days of prayer they have planned to remember him as part of the Catholic tradition of the novena. Included among his diverse favorites were sushi, chicken wings, pho and ramen, his mother and sister said.
He had dreams of traveling the world, living in Hawaii, and visiting Japan to pay homage to his love of anime, his mother and sister said. He also hoped to marry his high school sweetheart and to have children with her after they both became nurses.
Some of his dreams will still come true after his death. Before John Daniel and Jessie died, the entire family got their passports and planned on traveling the world together. The GoFundMe started by his mother and sister is also intended to raise money to cremate Jessie and to scatter his ashes around the world. So far, they have raised $23,525 toward their goal.
Daisy and Melissa Morales plan to start the dream of traveling for both Jessie and John Daniel in the Dominican Republic this summer, the first stop in an effort to begin spreading Jessie’s ashes on beaches around the world.
“Everyone is in complete shock and Jessie will never be gone,” Daisy Morales wrote on GoFundMe. “He was too big of a being, he will forever linger.”
Jessie Morales, 20, died in a car accident on Jan. 8. Courtesy of the Morales family
This story was originally published January 20, 2023 at 11:50 AM.
Kallie Cox covers public safety for The Charlotte Observer. They grew up in Springfield, Illinois and attended school at SIU Carbondale. They reported on police accountability and LGBTQ immigration barriers for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. And, they previously worked at The Southern Illinoisan before moving to Charlotte.Support my work with a digital subscription
