Jack Quehl was a brilliant, fun-loving, caring son, brother, cousin and friend, and this is his story. 

In the early hours of June 22nd, 1997, a baby boy made the world a little brighter.  His proud parents, Tom and Stephanie, named him John Thomas Quehl, but soon everybody called him Jack.

Little Jack loved sports and books. Stephanie read to him every night, and every night Jack begged for one more story (Stephanie always gave in). During Jack’s elementary years, Tom and his Uncle Jon coached him in football, soccer, lacrosse and basketball, but ultimately football became Jack’s sport. Jack displayed his passion for football with his wardrobe, wearing a constant mix of college and NFL jerseys until he settled on his two favorite teams: The Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Like everything he did, Jack leaped into high school with both feet. He went to Moeller High School where he played football for 4 years.  He was a member of the National Honor Society and a National Merit Scholar. He even performed in the annual Moeller Improv show with his younger brother Tyler. Jack finished in the top ten of his highly competitive class, and his classmates chose him to give the closing speech at their graduation ceremony.

In 2016, Jack received a scholarship from the University of South Carolina (USC) and joined the Darla Moore Business School on USC’s main campus.  During Jack’s freshman year, he was chosen for the Darla Moore Study Abroad program.  Over the course of three semesters, Jack traveled the world and spent time in Europe, Asia and South America. Along the way, Jack made lifelong friends everywhere he went and developed an insatiable appetite for travel.

Jack graduated from USC in May of 2020 and was accepted into the Venture for America (VFA) program, which places graduates into startup businesses to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs. He interviewed with multiple startups and joined a company called HEX, based out of Baltimore. 

Starting work in the middle of the Covid pandemic meant Jack had to spend the first year of his career working remotely from his parents’ home in Ohio, but he handled it with the same grace he did everything else. Jack worked hard, read incessantly, and developed a love of music. (And kept a journal. In Portuguese!) His parents remember a constant flow of deliveries as Jack ordered new books to devour and new vinyl records to enjoy.  All of Jack’s family— Tom, Stephanie and his brothers Eric, Tyler and Adam—recall the fun they had listening to music and goofing around with Jack. They’re forever grateful they were able to have that time with him.

In August of 2021, Jack was finally able to move to Baltimore to start his adult life.  His family helped him pack up a Uhaul full of clothes, furniture, books and albums.  Jack left his parents a beautiful note, thanking them for all they had done for him.

The afternoon of Sunday, September 19th, was a bright and sunny day in Ohio. Tom was watching the Bengals game on TV, and Stephanie was volunteering at the local church festival. Their world was about to forever change.

Jack’s friend Aaron called Stephanie: He and Jack’s roommates had found Jack unresponsive on their apartment’s porch. Stephanie and Tom drove as fast as they could from Ohio to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Jack’s brother Tyler, who was living in Philadelphia, had a shorter trip and rushed to Jack’s side. Tyler called his parents and reassured them Jack was resting comfortably, even though he knew it did not look good.

Tom and Stephanie arrived around midnight. The doctor told them the words no parent wants to hear— Jack had less than a 1% chance of survival. The medical team had done everything they could for Jack, but it was simply too late. Tom called Jack’s brothers, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins so that they all could say goodbye to Jack. 

Jack passed early Monday morning at approximately 6am. It seems that Jack, while having a good time with some friends, had used a recreational drug. What Jack didn’t know was the drug had been cut with fentanyl, a drug that’s up to 50 times more potent than heroin. Jack wasn’t an addict, he wasn’t a habitual drug user, and he never intended to take fentanyl. But he did, and it took his future. The world will never know how Jack Quehl might have changed it.

Jack’s family was beyond heartbroken, but they decided Jack’s visitation and funeral could only be a celebration of his life. They asked that people wear their favorite sport’s team jersey to the visitation—something they knew would’ve made Jack smile. The line stretched out the door and around the building for hours as family, friends, and neighbors gathered to remember Jack. The day was full of stories, laughter and tears.

The Rest of Jack’s Story Begins Here.

Jack was truly loved by so many. His international friends remember his gap-toothed smile and the way he made them laugh. “If you could make Jack laugh, it was truly an honor, because he did it so often for us,” one says. Jack’s brother Tyler says, “Jack was curious about his world and always learning. He would talk to anyone and explore any notion, even if it challenged his views. He continues to inspire me to live openly, authentically, and inquisitively.”

Jack could be reserved and almost shy, and he was also quirky, funny, goofy, brilliant and thoughtful.  But, above all else, he was beautiful in heart and soul.

To let Jack’s memory fade would be an injustice to him and to all who knew him, so Jack’s family and friends started the “DOITFORJACK” Jack Quehl Foundation. They want to honor his memory and make sure that no other family loses their Jack.