Community Remembers Teenager

PRAIRIE GROVE -- Jarren Truman Sorters was born Sept. 11, 2000, in Hot Springs, an Arkansas resort town so exquisite the place almost seems magical.

Fifteen years and 11 months later he passed away peacefully in his sleep in his home at Prairie Grove Aug. 11.

The community wept. The people of Prairie Grove have collectively and individually poured out their hearts and expended their energy nurturing Jarren as child, providing a sense of belonging and lovingly embracing him and his family as he endured a foot amputation, chemotherapy and radiation treatments throughout the past year.

In between those two distinct events marking Jarren's young life, he carved out a unique role in the heart of the community.

As a 13-year-old, Jarren had already developed an awareness of the potential impact he possessed as an individual to make a difference for good in the lives of those around him.

On Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, Sorters wrote on his blog: "Legacy is the mark that people leave when they die or leave for good. Legacy is important because it is an indication of who you are and what mark you have left before you died. That is why my goals for legacy are to be a kind person. Someone that is caring for others and makes them happy. My second goal is to be a fun person to be around. I want to be fun to be around so I can make people's day better. My last goal is to be smart. Not only intelligent but in how I treat other people."

Darrian Preston coached Jarren in baseball when Jarren was around fifth grade.

"Jarren pitched for us," Darrian Preston remembers. "He didn't throw very fast, but he could throw strikes."

Preston's son, Aaron, is a year older than Jarren and also played on a team that twice won the Washington County Civic League championship. Aaron said the boys always played ball together and formed a friendship after Aaron moved to Prairie Grove as a fourth grader.

"He was a good guy," Aaron said. "Him and I were really close when we were younger, hanging out together. When we starting playing, he was one of the best leadoff men we had."

Aaron also pitched and played shortstop and third base. Jarren, too, played shortstop as well as second base.

Darrian Preston said Jarren had obviously been trained well by his father, Joey Sorters, who also coached the team.

"You could tell he was a coach's son," Darrian Preston said.

Jarren never let that make him think he was privileged or entitled to special treatment.

"He would uplift the other players when things weren't going well," Darrian Preston said. "He was one of those kids that you really enjoyed coaching because he listened, he did what you said.

"He was small, but he had a confidence in him," Darrian Preston said. "He was always encouraging the team."

Aaron's last conversation with Jarren came last fall during a football game. Although Jarren was in a battle after being diagnosed with Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in the spring of 2015 that led to the amputation of his left foot Oct. 15, the conversation seemed normal.

"We were just sitting there," Aaron remembers.

Now, the death of Jarren seems surreal to Aaron and many Prairie Grove residents, some who had been awoken by texts in the 3 a.m. hour Thursday morning notifying them of Jarren's passing.

Thursday morning a group of administrators were busy deciding how to work through the mourning process as a school district. A grief counselor was brought in from Arkansas Children's Hospital where Jarren underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. The counselor met with staff.

Jarren is the son of Prairie Grove High School assistant principal Joey Sorters and his wife Donna Sorters. He has a younger brother, Jackson. Flags were flying at half staff and a yellow and black ribbon was placed at the entrance to the high school.

Prairie Grove head volleyball coach Mat Stewart was hired July 11. In his short stint, he realizes the value Prairie Grove residents and the school district places on coming together as a community.

"First of all, I can't imagine what that family is going through and how those parents are feeling," Stewart said. "To see how the faculty here and administration have pulled together and rallied around that family, it's awesome. Our staff, here, our faculty, they hurt, too. They were very close to Jarren."

Jarren would have been a sophomore at Prairie Grove High School, which opened its doors to students to begin the fall semester Monday. Funeral services were held Saturday at the Prairie Grove High School gymnasium.