Ciara graduated from Vista Ridge High School in Colorado Springs. She went on to graduate summa cum laude from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After graduation, she conducted research on Alzheimer’s disease with the University of California, Davis and was then hired as a firmware engineer at Pi-Lit, a technology start-up in Tustin, CA.
Ciara was a one of a kind gem! A rare find! Beautiful inside and out. Loving, caring, kind, and funny – so funny! She was that person who would go sit with someone sitting by themselves or try to get that shy person to engage in a group setting. She never could understand why a person would intentionally be unkind or mean to another person. Ciara loved her family and friends so much and would do anything and everything for them.
Ciara was very intelligent and also very creative. She liked to read, sew, draw, cook, and play video games and magic (a game with cards). She showed off her creativity in her fashion sense, often wearing clothes she made herself, and in her ever-changing hair color, which usually reflected her favorite color – pink.
Ciara was a brilliant engineer, and she loved her work. In her free time, she liked to tinker with engineering projects at home. For example, she once took a regular lamp and made it Bluetooth friendly. In her professional life, she had a profound impact in her engineering positions, despite her relatively short tenure in those roles. She often stated that she wanted to make the world a better place for everyone through her work as an engineer. She also was looking forward to giving back and talked about one day setting up a scholarship or donating to her Alma Mater.
Ciara is survived by her parents: Charles Fredrick and Ann Marie Jekel; her brothers: Charles “C.J.” Fredrick Jekel Jr. and Michael Joseph Jekel; and her grandparents: Joseph and Maria Parisi; her Aunts and Uncles: Roseann and Claude Hillmann, Joseph and Tonya Parisi, Stefanie and Bill West, Ed and Noreen Jekel, Tracy and Michael Riddle, Mark and Linda Jekel, Gretchen and John Burkey, Fritz Jekel, and John and Kay Jekel; and many cousins: Alessandro, Nico, Joey, Isabella, Alexander, Andrew, Samantha, Jonathan, Jeremy, Katy, Laura, John Patrick, Rachel, and Sarah; and a few second aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Edward Henry and Joan Kathryn Jekel, and two cousins, Matthew Jekel and Giovanni West.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at Holy Apostles Catholic Church at 4925 N. Carefree Circle, Colorado Springs, CO 80917. Ciara will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery. Following the burial, a reception will take place at the Jekel home.
Anonymous
26 Sep 2022Charlie and Ann Marie, I am so sorry for your loss. May your daughter Rest In Peace and may your hearts be full of beautiful memories.
Jackie Reittinger Wallace
Anna Maria
10 Oct 2022Thank you so much❤️
Julia Roe
26 Sep 2022Our deepest most sincere condolences to your family. Ciara was the most beautiful child I had ever seen and grew into such an amazing gorgeous woman. It was a privilege to have known such a beautiful soul. May she rest in paradise with our Heavenly Father. Continued prayers and love for all of you.
Anna Maria
10 Oct 2022Thank you my friend❤️
Terry Karatas
26 Sep 2022I am so Terribly sorry for your loss .May God bless you all and comfort you
Anna Maria
10 Oct 2022Thank you ❤️
Scott Anderson
26 Sep 2022I am so sorry to see and hear this. She was a true light in this world. She will be missed. My sincere condolences. Our hearts are with your family.
Anna Maria
10 Oct 2022Thank you ❤️
Colleen & Mike
27 Sep 2022Ann Marie & Charles,
Our hearts break. May you find peace & comfort knowing how much she’s loved now & forever. May God guide you on your grief journey.
Anna Maria
13 Oct 2022Thank you my friends
Noa Margalit
27 Sep 2022I am so so sorry for your loss. Ciara was such a bright light and just the funniest, kindest, most caring person. She was absolutely brilliant and such a good friend. My heart is broken, but I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend time in school with Ciara. Sending your family so much love.
Anonymous
13 Oct 2022Thank you Noa, Ciara loved you so
Tamara Holters
27 Sep 2022Ann Marie and Charles, my heart broke in pieces when I heard, I am so sorry for you both, I truly pray that good will guide you on your grief journey. love you.
Anna Maria
13 Oct 2022Thank you my sweet friend
Joe and Elaine Hinton
27 Sep 2022We are so sorry for your loss. Ciara sounds like a wonderful and caring person. A true gem, as was written. We hope and pray for comfort for the entire family.
Anonymous
13 Oct 2022Thank you.
Bridget Darden
28 Sep 2022Please know Ann Marie, Charles, CJ, and Michael that our love and God’s healing light is within you and he will carry you all until you can stand and walk again but will always be by your side. Ciarra lives in all our hearts and everywhere we look, the clouds, the mountains, the dog playing, and so much more she is now your angel. She is dancing in the sky with the angels.
https://youtu.be/YNoLJy68ZcE
Anonymous
13 Oct 2022Thank you. Love you
Kamille Hockman
29 Sep 2022I’m so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Anna Maria JEKEL
18 Nov 2022Thank you so much!
Debbie Onexayvieng
29 Sep 2022Ann Marie and family, no words can express how sorry I am. The love that you shared was so beautiful, and I know that it’s this same love that will carry you through the darkest and most difficult days. May God hold you and your family during these painful times and give you comfort as you mourn the loss of beautiful Ciara.
Anna Maria JEKEL
18 Nov 2022Thank you so much
Lisa Gleason
30 Sep 2022Chuck and Ann Marie, my thoughts and prayers continue to be with you and the boys. My heart cannot the immense pain you are feeling. May God wrap his arms around you and surround you with peace that can only He can provide in the days and moments to come. Love you ❤️
Anna Maria JEKEL
18 Nov 2022Thank you so much sweet friend! Love you!
Deidra Marques
30 Sep 2022I am so sorry for your loss. I went to school with Ciara, and although we weren’t close friends we shared mutual friends and had several classes together. One thing that always stood out to me about her was how genuinely KIND she was. After high school, we had brief and friendly conversations on our social media here and there that were always sweet. Sending all my love to her family. She was such an intelligent, beautiful, and once again KIND person.
Anna Maria JEKEL
18 Nov 2022Thank you so much
Alex and Carolyn Espinosa
2 Oct 2022Ann Marie, Charles, CJ, and Michael, there are not words to express how sorry we are for your loss. Please know you are all in our prayers and that you are surrounded by the love and prayers of many.
Anna Maria JEKEL
18 Nov 2022Thank you so much sweet friend
Anna Wilson
10 Oct 2022Ann Marie, Am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Losing a child must be hard. Am here if you ever need to talk.
Anna Maria JEKEL
18 Nov 2022Thank you so much!
Isaac
1 Dec 2022Charles and Ann Marie, I am so sorry for your loss. I was one of her co-workers and she was such a fun person to be around, and work with. She was incredibly intelligent, and also kind. It deeply saddens me to know of her passing, but I can only imagine how much more this has affected your family. I pray that your family find comfort in these times. My sincere condolences.
Yufei David Zhu
27 Jul 2023I was a former UC Davis Ph.D. classmate of Ciara and stumbled upon this website when I googled her name to see how she was doing (she had left our program for industry in our second year). Needless to say, I am heartbroken. Ciara was one of my first friends at Davis. We met during recruitment. I will always remember her as intelligent, kind, delicate, and a person having a beautiful soul. She helped me with my Python coding immensely during our Signals and Systems class. We were on the same Trivia team during recruitment, and she seemed to know all the answers. We were supposed to run the Biomedical Engineering Student Association (BESA) Health Club together as co-officers during our second year of grad school, but she had bigger plans. Rest in peace, my friend. I will keep you in my thoughts.