Jennifer M. Tobin

Aphorism: a pithy observation that contains a general truth. Jennifer loved words, especially the written word, and we think she would have appreciated this word since she shared her own aphorisms throughout her life. One aphorism frequently used by Jennifer was, “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” This is quite understandable as Jennifer was dealt more than her fair share of ordeals. But her ordeals did not define her.

Jennifer was also incredibly smart and kind. If you have ever been on Jennifer’s Facebook page, you know she had a wicked sense of humor. She took immense joy in scouring the internet for items of frivolity to share with her friends.

To say Jennifer was well read is a major understatement. As a kid, Jennifer would rather go to the library than the park; and in the age before Kindle, she used a flashlight under the covers to read well past bedtime. Her precocious reading ability wasn’t always appreciated in grade school where she often found the assignments beneath her. It was hard to get excited about Green Eggs and Ham when you could read Frank Herbert’s Dune instead.

As an adult, Jennifer kept yearly journals of all the books she read. The high-water mark was 816 books in a single year. That is not an exaggeration! Jennifer was a self-taught speed reader and 2-3 books a day was her norm. Plus, with a selective photographic memory, Jennifer was blessed with incredible recall and was a living, breathing reference desk. Emily and Brigid would ask Jennifer for book recommendations, and with all due respect to The New York Times, Jennifer was better. Good luck to anyone who tried recommending a book Jennifer had not already read. Emily boasts the only known successful recommendation to Jennifer, which made Emily so happy especially because Jennifer read the book and enjoyed it. Jennifer was rarely without a book within arm’s reach. Kindle Unlimited has no doubt noticed a drop in downloads in the Columbus metropolitan area.

Jennifer was born in Columbus, Ohio and was adopted as an infant by her parents, Robert and Sally Heid, who were thrilled to start a family with a beautiful baby girl. Bob and Sally needed time to adjust to instant parenthood--a few days after bringing Jennifer home, in keeping with their routine refined during 7 years of marriage, they jumped in the car to run some errands and before they pulled out of the driveway on Cardiff Road, remembered their beautiful baby girl was still asleep upstairs. By 1965, Bob and Sally had three more children and moved the family to their hometown of Fremont, Ohio, where grandparents provided invaluable support and babysitting duties.

Jennifer attended St. Ann’s Catholic Grade School and Fremont Ross High School, graduating in 1979. She attended college at Ohio Wesleyan before transferring to The Ohio State University, where she majored in philosophy and pursued two master’s degrees in philosophy and library sciences. It was at Ohio State that Jennifer met the love of her life, Bruce Tobin. Bruce and Jennifer were intellectual equals and could not have been better suited for each other. They married in 1986 and soon took up residence in Bexley, Ohio, where Bruce had grown up with his three siblings and devoted parents.

After graduation, Jennifer appropriately accepted a position in the Columbus Metropolitan Library System at the downtown location as a reference librarian. Jennifer used her superpower to find answers to obscure questions from the general public. At that time, a reference librarian, and Jennifer in particular, was Google before there was Google.

In 1996, Jennifer and Bruce had their son James Maxwell “Max” Tobin, whom they loved with all their hearts. Around this time, Jennifer connected with her birth mother, Peg Wentz, and quickly developed a special bond and friendship with her. Our mother, Sally, encouraged Jennifer’s relationship and was genuinely happy they had found each other. In fact, Sally and Peg developed their own special bond, forged by their mutual love of their daughter and her family. Peg’s husband, Don, has been a huge source of love and support for Jennifer and her family over the years. Jennifer was so thankful to have them in her life.

Sadly, in 2005, Jennifer was dealt a devastating blow when Bruce died unexpectedly. Six short years later, Jennifer was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia. The odds at the time were not good, but Jennifer said, “Well, someone has to survive, so it may as well be me.” Following months of misery, pain, isolation, and a sock-monkey hat to keep her bald head warm and make the rest of us smile, Jennifer received a bone marrow transplant at The James. As a result, she was able to continue her life’s journey.

Jennifer did the best to enjoy the beauty in each and every day she was given. She held a nagging fear cancer would return someday. When cancer did return in 2023, she faced it with stoicism and a dry sense of humor.

Almost as much as Jennifer loved the written word, she loved animals. As a little girl, Jennifer rescued a garter snake, a hamster, a turtle, a chameleon, a praying mantis (before it was illegal), a squirrel and our beloved dog Ralph. As an adult, she fostered and rescued countless dogs and cats. Most recently, her four miniature dachshunds jockeyed for the favored position on Jennifer’s lap as she read on the couch.

Despite Jennifer’s ability to recall past events with uncanny accuracy, she did not hold a grudge, and for this we are extremely grateful, though not surprised. Jennifer did not concern herself with petty grievances. Better than anyone, she knew how precious little time we have in this world, and she truly did not sweat the small stuff. She knew what was important—her son Max, her friends and family, her pets, her books, and making people smile.

We all will miss Jennifer’s lopsided grin and her delightfully sarcastic sense of humor. She would want us all to live our lives like there is no tomorrow (oh crap, another aphorism), but she especially would want Max to live and love and find happiness in every day.

Jennifer is survived by her son James Maxwell “Max” Tobin; sisters Brigid Heid (Kurt Swartzlander) and Emily Heid; brother Charles Heid (Laurie); birth mother Peg Wentz (Don);

parents-in-law James “Jim” and Mickey Tobin; brother-in-law David (Caryn); sisters-in-law Betsy Tobin (Peter) and Patty Tobin (Karim); nieces and nephews Nathan, Alex, Theo, Henry, Cody, Maddy, Megan, Priya, Kiran, and Casey; and her beloved dachshunds Mazie, Jack, Romeo, and Yeti.

Jennifer was preceded in death by her husband Bruce Tobin and her parents Robert and Sally Heid and a host of animals who were fortunate enough to have been loved by Jennifer, including her favorite Gimli.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1 PM on Saturday, April 6, 2024 at SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST, 1740 Zollinger Road, Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221, where family will receive friends after the service from 2PM until 4 PM.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in Jennifer’s memory to either your favorite charity or The Columbus Dog Connection, or to the Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation in memory of Jennifer at

https://www.columbuslibrary.org/foundation/donate/