Jason Ferch was confined to a wheelchair, but that was about the only thing that limited him.

“He was a man of great integrity, both professionally and personally,” said Emily Miller, supervisor in Social Services in the Mower County Health and Human Services Department.

Ferch, 43, died Sunday, Feb. 11, a man whose life inspired others many times, Miller said.

Miller met Ferch 15 years ago, when he was an intern at Mower County Health and Human Services. Later, he worked at Cedar Valley Services. Miller, who remained a friend, convinced him to apply to be a county social worker.

It proved to be one of her best suggestions. Ferch was hired in 2010 and worked for the department until his illness made it impossible for him to return to work.

“He had such empathy for those in trouble,” Miller said. “He never once looked upon any client as ‘a problem.’ We were the ones to provide solutions; he never forgot that. And he really enjoyed working for those solutions.”

Despite his own disability — he was a paraplegic after he suffered injuries in an accident when he was 21 — he had a sense of humor and a stern resistance to any self-pity.

“You never heard him complain, not once,” she said.

Karen Baier worked with Ferch at CVS, where he worked initially as a vocational counselor, and then in DTH — Day Training and Habilitation, the support services for those with disabilities.

Baier said Ferch earned high marks from both consumers and those with whom he worked, and his relationships with staff and clients was laced with humor.

Baier remained a friend after his departure from CVS, and recalled many poker nights at their homes.

“Which he took very seriously, just like his work,” she recalled with a laugh.

Miller said Ferch often diffused high-stress situations with a joke or well-timed line. In doing so, she said, “he put people at ease” and when that happens, people can focus on the issues that needed to be addressed.

“That set him apart,” she said.

Miller said Ferch struggled against an infection that could not be conquered, which was compounded by a heart issue.

“You couldn’t treat one without affecting the other,” she said. Illness forced his departure from his job in 2015. He fought illness until his death.

His determination to prevail, however, never left him.

“He taught us a lot,” Miller said. “Even after he had his accident (that resulted in paralysis), he also had a young son and he wanted everything for him … even after we were gathering to say what we thought were going to be our goodbyes, he would pull through. He was so determined but never complained.”

Ferch was the first recipient of the Pay It Forward bathroom remodel, conducted by T ‘N G Plumbing of Dexter, back in 2014. Gina and Todd Grundmeier redesigned his bathroom to make it more wheelchair-friendly.

At the time, Gina said, “Jason … was such a deserving guy, but he would have never asked for it.”

That was the way he was.

Jolene Holtorf, a friend and former county co-worker, said she and Ferch “always told the other one how it was.” After a short pause, she laughed.

“Well, I went to see him the night before he passed — and I show up with a plate and screws in my hand,” she said. “He was giving me crap because I told him I was babysitting my grandkids and decided to try out their Hoverboard.”

Another laugh.

“He said, ‘You idiot! Don’t you know you’re not 20 anymore? What were you thinking?’ We always told each other what was what; even then, he was giving me the business.”

There were other reasons Holtorf was one who helped organize a benefit for him in 2016.

“He was kind, caring and giving,” she said.

Miller said there were  few people like him.

“He had an extra layer of goodness around his heart,” Miller said.