Jesse Robert " Twig" Barden dreamt big -- monster truck big!

Enthralled by the giant trucks at a young age, Jesse, who grew up in Rochester and Mazeppa, turned his passion into a career as a crew chief for Monster Jam, the international motor sports company.

His love, which also encompassed his family, friends and fishing, was remembered  during a visitation and funeral for Jesse, 23, who died as the result of a Jet Ski accident June 29, 2009 in North Carolina.

Parked in front of Pax Christi Church in Rochester,MN for the wake and funeral was the U.S. Air Force monster truck that Jesse worked on for the past few years.

Helping get the truck there was Alex Blackwell, the driver of Captain Curse, Jesse's roommate in North Carolina, and close friend,  along with others from the Monster Jam team.

"I didn't know how people would react," he said of bringing in the truck. "But it was a big part of his life."

Pallbearers, including Damon Bradshaw, driver of the Air Force Afterburner, Adam Anderson, driver of Taz, Robert Wells, Coty Saucier, Michal Albers, Dennis Foltz, Becky McDonough & Alex Blackwell also wore monster truck Crew shirts in remembrance of Jesse's commitment to the sport.

It All started with a dream

At the age of 14, Jesse, along with long time friend Nathan Severson joined the Elite Minneapolis RC club that ran performances during breaks & half time during the Monster Jam shows at the Dome, upper midwest  and Las Vegas World Finals.

That was just the beginning

"He was living his dream," which became evident when he was promoted to the Track Crew at age 16.  At 18, with the help of  Mike McFarlin,  he was hired as a Tech Offical. After 1 year he decided he wanted to work on the big trucks & became a Mechanic, later promoting to Crew Chief. In 2008 he was honored as Crew Chief of the year and MVP, Most Valuable Player. 

"He was an ambassador for Monster Jam," said Bill Easterly, senior director of operations, noting that Jesse was always the first person to volunteer for any duty.

Jesse traveled extensively through out the US and 18 Countries in Europe for events and display tours.  He still managed to squeeze in a trip home a couple times a year, often suprising his family and friends. He loved to go up north fishing & hanging out with his friends & family.

"Most people don't do in a lifetime what he did in two years," Blackwell said.  Yet, Jesse remained humble, and he chose to use his position to help others.

Among the many stories of his generosity that his friends shared was when he met the family of a child with autism, and he invited them to visit him at the World Finals. There he showed them around backstage. He also gave out T-shirts and hats to kids interested in monster trucks, they said.

 He was probably the best role model for your kids that you could ever ask for," said family friend Shelly Roberts, of Mazeppa. "He was kind and considerate and very trustworthy. And he  put 100 percent into everything he did, she said.
Every year he and a group of friends would set up a haunted house in the basement of the Ponderosa Supper Club for the neighbor kids to tour on Halloween, she said.  And Two years ago as a suprise, he brought the U.S. Air Force monster truck to a neighborhood night in Mazeppa, she said.
"All the kids, even the old guys, got pictures up in that truck," Roberts said. "He went out of his way to do that."

Jesse  also helped  long time friend Mike Albers, of Mazeppa, get even closer to the monster trucks by bringing him on a Airforce Afterburner display tour to Chicago, Omaha and Houston last year.

"He was the best friend a guy could have," Albers said.


That showed how he held family and friends in his heart, which is remembered as being big --