Jayce Ray Sheffield was a 12-year-old who always said he was going to be famous. Jayce was active in football, basketball, and baseball, and also loved the sport of rodeo. He played drums in the school band and was a Boy Scout. Jayce was also on a committee to design and develop a skateboard park in Wewoka. On April 5, 2006, Jayce's 4-wheeler accidently flipped over, tragically killing him on impact. Jayce's family found comfort in knowing a part of Jayce still lives on through others. On April 3, 2007, what would have been his thirteenth birthday; the Jayce Ray Sheffield Memorial Skate Park was dedicated and opened to the City of Wewoka.

Jayce's Story

Jayce Ray Sheffield was a 12-year-old sixth-grade student at Wewoka Middle School in Wewoka, Okla. Jayce always said he was going to be famous one day.

Jayce was active in football, basketball, and baseball. He also loved the sport of rodeo and spent countless hours conditioning himself so one day he could become a world champion bull rider. He played the drums in the school band and was a member of the Boy Scouts. Through his dedication and determination, Jayce was the only student at his school to receive the Presidential Physical Fitness Award during his fifth grade year. Jayce was also on a committee established to design and develop a skateboard park in Wewoka.

On the evening of April 5, 2006, Jayce offered to help water the cattle on his family's farm north of Wewoka. During the ride home, his 4-wheeler accidentally flipped over, tragically killing him upon impact. Jayce was medi-flighted by paramedics to a nearby hospital. After confirming Jayce had died from a broken neck, his parents inquired as to whether he could become a donor. The nurse informed the family he could donate his heart valves, corneas and tissue. Jayce's family has found comfort in knowing a part of Jayce still lives on through others, as well as the knowledge of Jayce's strong Christian faith.

One dream Jayce always shared with his parents was that he wanted something in his hometown named after him. Jayce's family fulfilled this dream April 3, 2007, on what would have been his thirteenth birthday, with the dedication of the Jayce Ray Sheffield Memorial Skate Park in Wewoka. Hundreds gathered together in Jayce's memory to eat birthday cake and hot dogs and witness the first skateboarding tournament. The skate tournament has become an annual event held on the first Saturday in April. Several memorial bull riding events have also been held in Jayce's memory.

Jayce's mother, Paige Sheffield, has become a huge advocate for organ, eye, and tissue donation working through LifeShare of Oklahoma and also serves on the Organ Donation Education Awareness Program Council. She has traveled the state speaking to nursing groups, civic clubs, and other gatherings spreading the word that life can be fleeting, but it also can continue through organ, eye, and tissue donation. She, along with two staff members of LifeShare of Oklahoma, attended the 2011 National Donor Family Conference and Workshop in Washington, D.C.