of Jonesboro, AR
May 22, 2006 - August 7, 2020
Our precious, beautiful Caitlyn "Kai" Elise Essman, of Jonesboro, passed away on August 7, 2020 at the age of 14. Caitlyn "Kai" was born on May 22, 2006 at St. Bernards Hospital to Jim Essman, Jr. and Angela Finch.
Caitlyn "Kai" was a very intelligent, exceptionally talented, creative young artist who started drawing at the young age of six, and developed her artistic skills to drawing portraits of the family and self-portraits. She was full of joy and made her family laugh with her silly faces and quirky poses. She enjoyed drawing, anime, conventions, nature, swimming, walks at Craighead Forest, and making memories with family and friends. She had a radiant smile and a loving, compassionate heart. Kai would have been a ninth-grader at Nettleton High School.
Caitlyn "Kai" was preceded in death by her paternal great-grandparents, John and Mable Hill; ; great-uncle, Johnny Hill, Jr.; and great-aunt, Betty Wise; maternal great-grandparents, William and Lynn McClure, Elvis Eads and Bill Finch.
Caitlyn "Kai" is survived by her parents, Jim Essman and Angela Finch; brother, Cade Essman; paternal grandparents, Jim and Saundra Essman; aunts, Sheridan (Drew) Posey of Little Rock and Caroline (Doug) Davis of Lake City; cousins, Tristan Davis and Kimberly Weesner; and many other relatives.
Caitlyn "Kai" is survived on her mother's side by her great-grandmother, Carlene Eads; grandparents, Jeff Finch of Delaplaine and Sarah McClure of Paragould; great-aunt Jayne (Rayne) Nutt; aunt, Jennifer (Patrick) Martin; cousins, Tyler, McKenzie, Aubrey, Matthew and Bryce; as well as many great aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives.
Visitation will be from 1-2 pm Friday, August 14, with a memorial service following at 2 pm in the chapel of Roller-Farmers Union Funeral Home, 1900 West Washington Avenue in Jonesboro. Burial will follow at Nettleton Cemetery.
For lasting memorials, the family asks that consideration be given to the Trevor Project at www.thetrevorproject.org.
We are complying with the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines and limiting indoor funeral and visitation attendance while observing social distancing guidelines. All attendees must provide and wear masks upon entering and while in the building.
Extremely saddened by your loss. I only met Kai a couple of times, but he was always happy and a good person to be around.
I am so sorry for your loss. Praying that God will comfort your hearts and bring peace to your souls as you journey through this sad time.
I'm so sorry for your loss, Kai was a great friend, he will always be remembered.
You were a blinding sun in the darkest night, your smile infectious, lighting the sky like a beacon. He, she, it, they, no pronoun could describe the soul, the essence of you.
With each penstroke, pencil mark, paint swatch you would leave more of yourself for the world, and I thankyou for those memories now more than ever. Each pixel a memory to a life demanded to be remembered.
Comfort will come in time, with each joule of energy you possessed spinning off in intricate ways, still touching our lives in new and diverse ways, until eventually you are everywhere consumed into the chaos of life.
I'm so very sorry for your loss. If there is anything I can do, please let me know.
I am so very sorry for your loss! I cannot imagine your grief. I am praying for peace and comfort that only God can give.
I am so very sorry for the loss of your precious Caitlyn. I remember watching her enjoying your music programs when she was little and spreading joy at WRES as a student . Your family will be in my prayers . Give Jimmy a hug .
My thoughts and prayers are with you. I remember Caitlyn as a little girl at Walnut Ridge Elementary. She was such a sweetheart.
May God comfort each of the family members as you walk through this valley of the shadow of death. We did not know Caitlyn , but we lost a son in a motorcycle-car collision and we cherish his memory just as y’all do of Caitlyn . It’s heartbreaking to lose family member especially at a young age. We are of the Christian faith and we dealt with our pain based on our belief that God is still sovereign, even when we don’t understand tragedy.
We’ve found that each person in the families has to grieve in their own way and own time, so we encourage each of you to be aware and allow that process in the coming months. And also you may not think so in the next few weeks, but as time passes you will be able to think more on the good times that you had together and less about losing this young lady.
It is always good to hear people remember and name the one you’ve lost. Caitlyn will not be forgotten by friends and I hope they’ll share their memories of her with you.
Sending our thoughts and prayers to you all..Fly high Kai, you're with the Angels now and all the heavens your canvas.
We love you â¤ï¸