Friends, family will celebrate life of Jasper Pont

A Boulder man who died of an overdose Jan. 22 will be remembered at a celebration of life Sunday on Flagstaff Mountain.

Jasper Pont was 21 when he died after struggling with addiction. He grew up in Boulder and left behind a “beautiful legacy,” according to his father, Mike Pont.

“He was passionate and cared deeply for people and animals, especially those he felt were cast aside or disadvantaged,” Mike Pont wrote in his son’s obituary. “He could see light and beauty in darkness, and shared his heart and his infectious humor willingly and completely.”

The Louisville Police Department arrested four people accused of hiding Jasper Pont’s body after he died. While writing about his son’s death to deal with his grief, Mike Pont said he couldn’t find hatred in his heart for the suspects, but instead found compassion.

“How could I hate people obviously suffering in the insanity of disease? How could I be angry with a human being acting out of fear?” he wrote. “How do I summon rage? The simple fact is that I can’t.”

Mike Pont and his family are raising money in Jasper Pont’s name for those struggling with addiction, and his son’s spirit will live on in a piece of technology aimed at helping those dealing with mental health issues.

David Bach, who is close friends with Mike Pont and lived in Boulder until recently, decided to name a mobile app he was designing Jasper. He has been working with people at the Evidence Based Practice Institute in Seattle to create the app, which will provide distractions and help to those undergoing mental health crises and overdoses in emergency departments.

The ipad app will give patients soothing videos and breathing exercises to help distract them from suicidal thoughts. It also features videos from people who have been in that situation and come out the other side, he said.