Jennifer Lynn Ballard

Jennifer Lynn (Uhre) Ballard was born on February 7th, 1984 in Rapid City, South Dakota where the great American prairie meets the Black Hills. Her parents, Craig Uhre and Joan (Rypkema) Uhre, brought her home to the ranch where a lifelong love and friendship with her older sister, Nicole Uhre-Balk, awaited. In the coming years the family was joined by sister, Lacey Uhre, and brother, Adam Uhre.

Her childhood was marked by two primary influences: the sincere and well-lived Christian faith of her family, and a continual immersion in the woods, waters, mountains, prairies, and caves of Western South Dakota. Some of her fondest memories of childhood were skiing and staying in a shared family condo at Terry Peak.

She attended Stevens High School graduating in 2002 with honors and with involvement in the Blues Dance Team, Spanish Club, and the Rimrock Church Youth Group led by her cousin and mentor, Todd Hillard.

She went on to attend Azusa Pacific University near Los Angeles, California and graduated cum laude in 2006 with a B.A. in Global Studies. While attending university, she worked on Skid Row in L.A. serving the homeless, studied for a semester in the Yosemite Valley (where she would form a deep bond with her life-long best friend, Brittany Weinholz), and volunteered at an after-school program for at-risk youth. Her final semester of university was spent working in Nepal to help rescue women who were victims of human trafficking.

While working as a rock-climbing guide for a summer camp in 2004, she met her future husband and lifelong companion in love and adventure, Jason Ballard, at a barn dance. After three years of courtship (most of which was long distance between California and Texas), they were married in great joy on September 2, 2007 in Boulder, CO. They immediately sold everything they owned to travel and backpack around the world for a honeymoon. This love of travel continued throughout their marriage and was the source of many happy memories with friends.

They lived in Boulder, CO; Orange, TX; Beaumont, TX; Rapid City, SD; and finally settled in Austin, TX to raise children and make a life.

They welcomed into the world and their family four adored children: Titus Edward Ballard, Eden Sophia Ballard, and the twins, Artemis Arwen Ballard and Apollo Xavier Ballard.

Together with other co-founders, they started two businesses together: TreeHouse (an eco-friendly building supply store) in 2011, and ICON (a construction technology company) in 2018.

A deeply devoted and joyful Christian, her whole life was intentionally shaped in emulation of the sacrificial love of Jesus through prayer, worship, service, and humility. During their life in Austin, the family were members of St Richards Episcopal Church (Roundrock), St. David’s Episcopal Church (downtown Austin), and finally at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Barton Hills Austin).

Jenny’s life was marked by a few distinctive attributes: an unpretentious warmth, love, and sincere kindness for anyone that God brought into her life (which she took to mean everyone she met); a happy freedom of spirit; boundless curiosity, intelligence, judgment, and wisdom; and an undimmable radiance of light and joy.

She loved the moonlight. She loved dancing. She loved the hills and prairies of South Dakota. She loved science fiction books, and period piece movies. She loved making a fire. She loved chocolate. She loved the smell of prairie sweetgrass on the wind. She loved Indian food. She loved documentaries. She loved vegan food. She loved a medium steak with a hazy IPA. She loved the cool shade of ponderosa pines in the mountains. She loved sleeping under the stars. She loved sunflowers. She loved hot baths. She loved the years homeschooling her children. She loved jumping into cold lakes and streams. She loved fireflies and bees and long days on the trail. She loved the emptiness of Far West Texas. She loved cozy pajamas and snuggling in bed.

Most of all, she loved her children. She believed completely that they were her great vocation, her highest calling, and her most important legacy. She poured herself out for them in love no matter how painful, difficult, and dark her own trials were.

She battled cancer bravely and beautifully for 13 years, and although it took so much from her along the way, her joy, resolve, courage, humanity, faith, hope, and love never diminished.

She fell asleep in the Lord at home on Saturday, December 28th just after sunset surrounded by her parents and sisters, and with her husband holding her hand.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Eddie Rypkema; maternal grandmother, Vernell Rypkema; and paternal grandfather, Marvin Uhre.

She is survived by her paternal grandmother, Donna Uhre; parents, Joan and Craig Uhre; sister, Nicole Uhre Balk; sister, Lacey Uhre; brother, Adam Uhre; husband, Jason Ballard; and four beloved children: Titus (14), Eden (13), Artemis (4), and Apollo (4).

She will be mourned, missed, and celebrated for the rest of the lives of all who knew her.

Jenny’s funeral will be held on Saturday, January 4th at 10am at St. David’s Episcopal Church in downtown Austin, TX with a reception immediately to follow. A short memorial service will be held in Rapid City, South Dakota on January 8th at Rimrock Church at 1pm, followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery followed by a reception at Dahl Fine Art Center.

In lieu of (or in addition to) flowers, it was Jenny’s wish that the those who loved and now mourn her would make donations to three organizations:

1. The Pink Fund providing financial assistance to women fighting breast cancer.

https://pinkfund.org/get-involved/donate-now/

[email protected]

2. Community First Village – Serving those experiencing chronic homelessness and a loss of community in the Austin,TX area

https://mlf.org/honor-memorial/

[email protected]

512-328-7299

3. The Nature Conservancy of South Dakota – Preserving the beauty, wildness, life and health of the beloved prairies, woods, waters, and mountains of South Dakota.

The Nature Conservancy

612-331-0700

[email protected]

She was a saint of God. May her memory be eternal, and may she rest in the peace and joy of God forever.