Joseph Jewell, 27

Joseph Matthew Jewell, 27, of Mountain Home, died March 29, 2004, at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise.

A Celebration of Life Service was held Saturday, April 3, at Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home.

"Joseph's first breath in this world began with a struggle between life and death," his family said, calling him a "special special son, brother, uncle and nephew."

"He was physically encumbered by an imperfect body that resisted his zeal for life during his entire 27 years," his family said.

"His physical limitations only enhanced his beauty. He was a child of God, embraced and entertained by His angels, who moved anyone who encountered him in ways at time unsettling. He exuded a message of God's divine love that transcended mere words or rhetoric. His life's meaning and purpose are distinctly clear to all who knew him, especially to those who questioned his suffering. He was an anchor of pure love in a world fraught with strife and struggle. He was a light on a hill for those who struggle for meaning and purpose.

"He was the greatest love of his mother and father, who never faltered in their unrelenting labor of love while caring for him. In his passing, Joseph has been set free from his painfully crippled body and is eternally alive, whole, and living in the kingdom of God, with his Savior, Jesus Christ. We are humbly grateful to have been a part of this most wonderful, loving person's life. To his family and friends, Joseph Matthew Jewell was heaven's special gift."

Joseph is survived by: his mother, Virginia (Ginger) Jewell of Mountain Home; brother James Jewell and wife, Valery, of Clayton, Calif.; brother Mike Jewell and wife, Mina, of Mountain Home; brother, Robert Jewell and wife, Leanna, of Mountain Home; one nephew, seven nieces, one grand niece, two aunts and one uncle, special friends Bill and Peggy Sheldrick of Mountain Home, and many cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Robert G. Jewell.