Jet Vela Collins

Jet Vela Collins died on June 24 2025. Jet was 13 years old and a rising eighth grader at Garner Middle School in Garner, North Carolina. Jet leaves behind his devoted mother, Kerrith McDowell; his grandmother, Judith McDowell; and many loving uncles, aunts, and cousins who will miss him deeply. Jet was a shining star. He was an artistic and creative person to his core and he will live on in his artwork, his comic book stories, and his music. Art was Jet's first language, and he amused his English teachers by drawing his essay assignments. Jet was never bored. He had an intensely curious mind and loved history, researching obscure topics, snuggling with his mother while watching horror movies (he loved to "jump scare" her), and telling jokes.

Anyone who knew Jet knew he loved Halloween more than anything. He started putting up decorations on October 1st every year only because he his parents would not allow him to put them up any earlier. One of his favorite memories was creating and running a truly terrifying haunted house with his friend, Lucas. He started planning the next year's costume on the day after Halloween.

Spending time with Jet was always an adventure. He always had new artwork or a comic book story to share. He loved going on tours of historical sites, going to concerts, and dazzling audiences with his jokes and knowledge. He was a wordsmith who loved playing with language and making up riddles and sometimes even making up new words. He played the trumpet in his school band. Jet looked forward to Dungeons and Dragons club after school on Thursdays followed by a Dirty Campfire from Sodabox on his way home. He was teaching himself how to play the piano and how to speak German. His favorite weekend ritual was going to have a hamburger and fries at Town Hall Burger and Beer in Holly Springs where samples of his art once hung behind the counter.

Jet referred to his mother as "Prison Transport" every morning when leaving for school. While it was not something he looked forward to, he always had funny stories to share about him and his friends when he got home. After learning of Jet's death, one of his closest friends wrote to the family saying, "Jet was one of of my best friends throughout this whole year and he always tried to put a smile on our faces."

Jet was a sentimental collector. He saved childhood picture books and stuffed toys (Skeleton Bunny being his favorite!). Jet especially loved collectible action figures and saved his allowance and holiday money to take to Crowemag Toys to hunt for new treasures.

Jet will be missed with every breath, every sunrise and every moonrise. We know that he is watching over us and if we listen closely......

"When you look up at the stars at night, since I"ll be living on one of them, since I'll be laughing on one of them, for you it'll be as if all the stars are laughing. You'll have stars that can laugh.......And your friends will be amazed to see you laughing while you're looking up at the sky. Then you'll tell them, "Yes it's the stars, they always make me laugh!" And they'll think you're crazy. It'll be a nasty trick I played on you...." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince"

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the gofundme set up to support Jet's family during this time.