Jennifer entered this world sunny-side up in Middlesboro, Kentucky on Halloween. She wasted no time finding her voice and sharing extensive conversations with not one, but two, imaginary friends. She delighted in her role as “big sister”, to her younger sister Melissa, and could regularly be seen having her cut out pictures of food from magazines so they could play “restaurant”. School was, for Jennifer, a place for social activity with academics scattered throughout the day. AP courses and National Honor Society meetings were the prime setting for the comedic antics of her group of friends, and the dinner table subsequently became the stage for story-telling. Her 18th birthday brought these stories new life, as the Neidinger house filled with at least fifty of her closest partners in crime.
Many of those friends were members of the Kingwood High School Madrigal Choir, which Jennifer joined after years with the Houston Children’s Choir. Her beautiful soprano voice regularly filled the house and her effortless ability to hit high notes made her the envy of most songbirds. There is no doubt she is now singing with God’s angels.
After losing her grandfather to leukemia when she was young, Jennifer set out with determination to become a nurse. She graduated from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, obtained her RN certification, and later earned her MSN with honors in Nursing from UT-Arlington. Her career began at M.D. Anderson in 2000, where she learned her true passion in nursing was in the healing and advocating for children. In 2002, she started a new role in the Emergency Room at Texas Children’s Hospital, where she stayed for 10 years before becoming an Educator and ultimately Nurse Manager of three of the hospital’s clinics.
As much as she loved working with children, Jennifer possessed an equally passionate belief in the fair and ethical treatment of animals. So much so, that she chose a vegetarian lifestyle and became an adoptive momma to a rescue pup she affectionately named Rex Norman. She delighted in sharing stories of the adorable goofus that enters rooms backwards and believes everything is his to chew, including her beloved Snoopys.
If you knew Jennifer at all, you know of her fascination with Snoopy. Her love of this childhood character began with a single stuffed animal she received as a baby and flourished into an unbelievable collection of no fewer than a hundred more. Jennifer’s pride and joy was her Snoopy tree: an annual Christmas tradition of decorating a giant tree with almost every tiny Snoopy ornament ever made, and surrounding it with rows of plush Snoopy animals. A dream-come-true was traveling with her best friend Petria to Knott’s Berry Farm - Camp Snoopy, and meeting the Snoopy character. Pictures captured the sheer wonderment and delight in Jennifer’s endless smile as she and Snoopy greeted each other.
Jennifer’s life was cut far too short by cancer that evaded surgery, radiation, target therapy and chemotherapy. Despite physical limitations resulting from these treatments, she seldom missed a day of work – an achievement that frequently astonished her MDA care team. Her fierce and tenacious spirit served as inspiration for others and a reminder of Jennifer’s extraordinary perseverance.
Jennifer was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Mary Jane and Joseph Jensen, her paternal grandfather, Jerome Neidinger, and her eldest cousin, Chad Gartzke. She is survived by her loving parents, Mary Jo and Jeff Neidinger of Kingwood, her adoring sister Melissa and husband Gus Lemus, and her precious baby nephew Jaxson. Paternal grandmother Edith Neidinger, Aunts Nancy Gartzke and Gloria Mershon, and Uncles Joe Jensen and Richard Neidinger and their families, begin the rest of the long list of people mourning the loss of this kind-hearted young woman.
With Jennifer, everyone she met had a story to tell and she valued the time she spent with them. They became pieces of her own story; one filled with success, comedy, faith, love, and family. There will never be a boring day in Heaven, now that Jennifer is there.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at Strawbridge United Methodist Church in Kingwood at 11:00am. Due to Covid-19 safety precautions, all visitors are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing while inside the church. The service will be live-streamed for those who cannot physically attend but wish to celebrate Jennifer’s life from a distance.
The family wishes to thank the staff of MD Anderson for their care of Jennifer, particularly her oncologist Dr. Renata Ferrarotto, and to Kingwood Funeral Home for making final arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Houston SPCA in memory of Jennifer’s love of animals.
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