My name is Jaycee Dawson, and I’m a young, educated widow…

I think one of the most challenging things to do is talk about yourself. While it’s not creative to start with “my name is…,” it seems to be the best way to explain who I am and how I got here.

My name is Jaycee Dawson. I’m a daughter, sister, dog and cat mom, attorney, and most recently, widow. I unexpectedly lost the love of my life at the beginning of December 2021 due to a heart attack. My life and heart are forever changed.

I feel my life is now separated into two sections: before Jordan died and after Jordan died. That might seem weird and even dramatic, but honestly, it’s how my brain is processing the events of that dreadful December day. Hopefully, that distinct line will be erased at some point in the future, and my life could be described differently, but for the time being, here we are.

I was raised in a small, central Texas town. I grew up in a strong agricultural family that raised cattle and rodeoed. I was very active in high school and was in just about every club offered. I was awarded Miss SHS my senior year, which Jordan used as a joke to describe me to his friends. After high school, I attended and graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015 with a degree in Agricultural Economics. I always knew I would go into a professional career, and at some point in college, I discovered I wanted to be a lawyer. I attended St. Mary’s University School of Law and graduated in May 2019. I passed the Texas Bar and became fully licensed to practice law.

In March 2020, I took a job as Bastrop County’s newest Assistant District Attorney. As a prosecutor, I dealt with defense attorneys daily. One summer day, I received an email from Jordan Battersby McDonald, a defense attorney whose office was right across the street. The rest is history, and we fell in love rather quickly. Both of us knew almost instantly we were made for each other.

Jordan and I decided to begin our relationship on our first date. We just knew it would work. Jordan teased it only took 7 minutes for us both to know. Unfortunately, we only had a year together. However, in that year, we lived and experienced so many things. Our love was so strong. The future we were supposed to have together was in the works. He was close to getting down on one knee.

Many would say I don’t qualify as a widow. And honestly, those people can, as the Grinch would say, pucker up and kiss it. The pain I feel over the loss of Jordan is just as real and raw and painful as someone who was married. I have lost the love of my life, my soul mate, my future, my everything. I am young, educated, and widowed.