Donny Ward
My heart and prayers go out to Miss Lynn and her family. Jesse was a unique and extremely generous man to say the least. I worked with Jesse for two summers on his boat. Jesse was great storyteller and he had a way with words simple and to the point. Rule #1 Don't be late because the boat's not going to wait. Rule #2 Don't tangle my line and we’ll get along just fine. I'll let you know when you screw up and don’t worry I won't be shy.I learned a lot from Jesse those summer's. I often tell people about my experience working on the water getting up at 3 am to get to the boat, seeing the sun rise across the miles river every morning, culling the crabs and then baiting 5,000 foot line at the end of the day just to do it all over again. There is a sense of pride and joy you get working on the water unlike any other job experience I’ve had.Before my first summer working with Jesse I thought I knew every cuss word in the book, until a crab got a hold of his finger. Jesse could cuss a crab better than anyone else on the eastern shore. He was a man of many nicknames Bucko, The Big J, The King are just a few I can remember. Some crabbers where always shocked by how fast he could go down a line and net crabs. In most cases he'd be half way down his line a second time before most were finished their first run. He was true waterman and will always be a legend here to the eastern shore. I'm sorry I can't be hear today, but I wanted to express what an impact Jesse had on my life, that he will be truly missed and never forgotten. Anytime I hear the roar of a loud Diesel engine, smell the hint of salt water in the air or have my first taste of crabs for the summer I will always be reminded of The Big J. Donny Ward