Obituary of Ethan James Economy

From the time Ethan James Economy was conceived, he was excited to begin his short 16 years on Earth.

He arrived four-and-a-half weeks early, on August 29, 2000.

He was welcomed into this world, first, by his Mama,  Meg, and his Daddy, Jimmy, and then by grandparents, Steve and Donna, Brenda and Jim, aunts, Lisa and Lora, and uncles, Kiley and Dave, cousins, John and Jordan, and countless friends. Although he spent the first five days of his life in the NICU, he was constantly surrounded by loved ones.

When it was time to come home, his Mama and Daddy were absolutely head-over-heels in love with their precious boy and humbled by the awesome responsibility God had entrusted to them.

Ethan was already bigger than expected for a preemie, weighing right at seven pounds, and he would grow to become an even more snuggly and squishy, happy little cuddle bug, reaching twenty pounds by the time he was six months old.

He was never a morning person.  He would often shuffle, sleepy-eyed into the living room, and crawl into the chair with Mama or Daddy, snuggling up for just a little longer.

Ethan was always a sweet, tender-hearted child, who hated disappointing his parents, but he couldn’t help confessing any misbehavior.  Occasionally, he even put himself in time-out.

He was a daring, brave little goofball who loved to play, laugh, and test boundaries.  A brilliant little problem solver, he always found a way to accomplish his goals. He might be found scaling the side of the stairs like a rock climber, using the spindles as grips, or pushing a 24-pack of soda across the kitchen floor to use as a step-stool, trying to get cookies that were out of reach on the counter.

He loved to be outside playing, exploring, and using his imagination.  Whether it was playing in the creek behind Daddy’s house, or creating an imaginary world called Narnia in the middle of a copse of trees with his friends and cousins in Mama’s backyard, there was never a dull moment.

He loved babies and was a very nurturing soul. When he was in pre-k, we would often hear about his kindness and compassion for the disabled children in the Integrated Pre-school, from feeding a little boy with Downs to “reading” to little Katie who is confined to a wheelchair.

He loved Jesus and his favorite story in his children's Bible was “My Little Lunch,” about the miracle of a little boy who shared his lunch with the multitude to whom Jesus was preaching. Ethan began asking to be baptized at the age of 7, until we finally relented a few years later when we felt he was ready.

He was an Honor Roll student who was always surrounded by many friends and teachers who loved him dearly, some of whom have known him since he was in diapers and many of whom have known him since kindergarten.  Friends were family to Ethan, and he would do anything to brighten their day, make them laugh, or help them work through a problem.

In 2001, he welcomed his sweet cousin, Hunter, into the world and loved on him with baby kisses all the time. He couldn't help but fall in love with those big beautiful eyes and loved him instantly. We knew they'd grow up to be big buddies.

In 2002, he was blessed with another cousin, Joe, with whom he was both fascinated and enamored. So much so, when we got back home to Tennessee, he asked for a baby. So, Mama gave him a little plastic baby whom he named Baby Joseph Jesus. Daddy was a little concerned, but came around when he saw how sweetly Ethan cared for his little baby.

In 2003, he was blessed with another grandparent, Robert (Grandad) Thompson and his daughter, Melanie, and son, Michael.

In 2009, Ethan gained a stepmom, Jessie, and another set of grandparents, Judy and Jeff, who loved him dearly. He loved visiting them on the farm, and they spoiled him rotten.

Ethan cherished his family and was always incredibly thoughtful and loving. He used to try and sign, “I love you,” when he was a toddler, but couldn't quite get his little pinky up, so he would just sign the “L”. He always had deep love for his family, and not a day went by that we didn't hear “Love you.” He gave his love through his actions and often in written words. He wrote sweet letters and cards to let us know just how much he treasured us.

Ethan was an incredible big brother, and his little brothers adored him.

In 2012, he finally got his first baby brother, Bennett James, whom he loved from the start of his sweet, little life. He talked about Bennett all the time and it was obvious Bennett looked up to him.

Then in 2014, he was blessed with another little brother, Porter James, and it was love at first sight all over again. He played and wrestled and snuggled little Porter, and Porter loved his big brother.

Ethan went home to the Lord, on July 15, 2017, is survived by his mama, Meg Vendetti Ross, his daddy, “Jimmy” James John Economy, his step-mom, Jessica Hickman Economy, little brothers,  Bennett James Economy (5) and Porter James Economy (2), grandparents, Steve (Papou) and Donna (Yaya) Vendetti, Brenda (Gran) and Robert (Grandad) Thompson, Jim (Poppy) Economy, Judy (G-ma) and Jeff (G-dad) Hickman, aunt and uncle, Lora and David Mehne, aunt and uncle, Lisa and Kiley Murphy, uncle and aunt, Ben and Savanna Hickman, cousins, John (18) and Joe (14) Mehne, cousins, Jordan (19) and Hunter (15) Murphy, and cousin, Reagan Hickman (2).

Nothing will ever replace having our sweet Ethan here with us, but we find peace in knowing he is with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We will meet again someday.

Visitation will be held from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm at Murfreesboro Funeral Home with the Celebration of Life beginning at 4:00 pm on Saturday, July 22, 2017.