Remembering Jordan Gutierrez
July 2nd, 2026
Honoring Jordan on What Would Have Been Her 21st Birthday
jordan’s council ring
At the center of Nora’s Sun and Moon Park is a stone circle. At the center of that circle is a fire. That simple shape, drawn around a flame, represents one of humanity’s oldest traditions - gathering together for warmth and communion.
Jordan’s Council Ring is the spiritual center of our park, bringing light in darkness, warmth in cold, and a space where we can gather to share stories, spread joy, and provide support. Since its creation, Jordan’s Council Ring has been a haven for both the school and local communities as a venue for school lessons, social events, and memorials.
jordan gutierrez
In April of 2021, our community lost yet another student to pediatric cancer. Jordan is described by her teachers and friends as carrying a warm light that brings people together.
The Council Ring at the center of the park cannot match the warmth that Jordan herself brought to her community, but each time it is lit, it will be lit in her honor, providing physical and spiritual nourishment to those around it. We are honored to be able to keep Jordan's spirit bright by imbuing our park with her joy, vibrancy, and strength.
A Letter from Erin Gutierrez
Dear Chicago Waldorf School Friends,
For those who never had the chance to know her, let me tell you a little about my daughter Jordan Gutierrez.
Jordan was a CWS student from the time she was two years old until cancer took her in 2021, just shy of her sixteenth birthday. She was a girl who loved fiercely and lived fully. She loved softball and dancing and art and history. She loved her camp friends and her softball friends, but her Waldorf friends were her closest and longest. Most of all she loved her little brother, Noah, who was her best friend. The two of them would choose to spend time together, happy just to be in each other's company.
This July 2nd, Jordan would have turned 21. Five years have now passed since we lost her, and I find myself returning again and again to the place where she spent nearly her whole life: Chicago Waldorf School and this community.
We came to Waldorf in 2007, and we stayed for fifteen years. It became so much more than a school to us. It was where Jordan was truly seen and known. She loved learning, loved her teachers, and loved coming through the school doors every single day.
When Jordan passed away, the support we received was beyond anything we could ever repay. Letters and pictures from every student and teacher, more than once. Meal trains. On the day she passed, I'm told classes simply stopped so she could be remembered.
That is why Jordan’s Council Ring and Fire Pit in Nora's Sun & Moon Park mean so much to us. Jordan loved deep conversations and the warmth of a fire. A space built to gather people together, to work things out, to celebrate, is exactly who she was. I can't imagine a more fitting way to remember her.
As we mark this fifth anniversary, we're asking you to consider a gift to the Community Fund in Jordan's honor, supporting the lasting memorial of her council ring. It's our way of saying thank you, and of keeping her spirit of warmth and connection alive for every child who gathers there.
Erin