Jordan Herr’s spirit of generosity lived in everything she did. At Girl Scout summer camp, she cooked meals for and mentored hundreds of girls. Cooking and baking was her love language. She poured her love of people into the meals she created. She expressed herself through music when playing her flute, weaving stories of colors and feelings. She was always willing to give advice to anyone who needed it. 

“She gave and gave and gave,” Wendy Peterson, Jordan’s mother, said. “In every way, she gave to all of her friends and everybody.”

Wendy remembers her daughter as quirky, caring, intelligent, and a mediator. Jordan especially loved being outdoors, hiking and camping most weekends with her younger sister. “Jordan spent as much time as she could outdoors, in nature. That’s where she was happiest.”

Jordan loved to learn new things, including making sausage and how to crochet. “She was constantly pushing her brain from a learning perspective, that’s just who she was. But she didn’t just learn it, she took it to a scientific level,” Wendy said. 

Jordan’s selfless nature was evident even after she ended her battle with depression in 2021 at the age of 25. Wendy said she didn’t know when Jordan made the decision to become a donor by signing up on the Wisconsin Donor Registry, but she wasn’t surprised. 

Jordan’s gift of tissue donation has helped over 200 people across the United States and in Mexico. “Even in passing, she gave and gave. It’s comforting to know that she lives on and that she helped so many people.”

Wendy was grateful to learn how the tissue donation process worked with American Tissue Services Foundation’s assistance. “I am in awe of the process. I didn’t understand how this worked.  You tend to think of just the organs.  You don’t think about everything else that can be a benefit to people.”

The family continues to remember Jordan’s legacy and to find new paths forward while also advocating for mental health. Wendy continues to bake and teach others so Jordan’s spirit lives on.

“Everybody needs to donate. Not saying yes to donation is a wasted opportunity because everybody should have a chance to help humanity and this is an easy way to do it,” Wendy said. “The fact that her DNA is living on in that many people, her spark, her sunshine, her joy, her essence is really cool to think about. Her light, her generosity, her spirit is like a network of fairy lights being spread far and wide, that’s her legacy.”