Snowball of support for those fallen

When the Lutheran chaplains came to Jean Jack’s door, she wasn’t expecting the worst.

There was a Lutheran conference in town — right nearby, in fact — and she had assumed the men had come by to say hello, or maybe to deliver some well-wishes to her husband, Ed, a Lutheran chaplain serving overseas.

Sadly, the visit was not this blithe.

“We need to speak with you about Ed,” Jean recalls them saying.

“He’s gone.”

The chaplains explained that Edward Jack, her husband, had suffered a heart attack on the boat where he was serving his duties. He was 51 years old and within 13 weeks of retirement.

“All I could think was, ‘What do you mean he’s gone?’” Jean said. “He’s going to be home in three months — you just shake your head no, you can’t believe it.”

Jean described the aftermath as a whirlwind — moving from military housing in San Diego to a new home in Costa Mesa, taking a new job at Christ Lutheran School and caring for her grieving son.

It was then, she said, that her sister read about a new program called “Snowball Express,” which offers families of fallen vets a place to support one another — while having a little fun, too.

More than 1,200 children and spouses of military personnel who died while serving in the U.S. military since 9/11 will attend this year’s event this weekend, which includes a performance by the Lt. Dan Band, a private party at the Oakley headquarters in Foothill Ranch and a visit to Disneyland — all made available through the generosity of volunteers and corporations throughout the United States.

John Mavros, the president of Preferred Hotel Management, said he had been working overtime for about 10 days to prepare the local hotels donating rooms for many of the families — some of whom are coming from as far away as Italy and Japan.

“I just got asked to help, and I believe in it wholeheartedly,” he said. “What a wonderful premise I’ve never seen hotels step forward and donate blocks of rooms for nights and nights; it’s really just unheard of.”

Mavros also praised many of the transportation companies, including American Airlines, for donating tickets and even chartered flights to get families to Orange County this weekend.

Mavros further suggested that those who would like to express their gratitude for these families could appear about 11 a.m. Saturday at Oakley Headquarters, 1 Icon Road in Foothill Ranch.

As for Jean, she and her son — a senior in high school — are looking forward to the program again this year.

“We just came home to find a package on our door, full of presents for the family,” she said. “It’s really just beyond comprehension that there are people out there that are that generous, to give their time and be there for people they don’t even know.”

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.