Jennifer Olson

(1970 - 2023)

Jennifer was born in Escondido, California, and passed away at age 53 with her family by her side on the 6th of July at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida where she previously had been treated for leukemia. She is survived by her mother Carol, father James, brother Eric and his wife, her sister-in-law Rachel.

Because of her father’s career as a U.S. Navy officer, Jen lived in numerous places - San Diego; New Orleans; San Diego again, Dallas: Burke, VA; and Dallas again, until she went off to college at The University of South Florida in Tampa where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech Therapy, and decided to stay after graduation in the class of 1993. She lived in and around Tampa for several years working in administrative and accounting positions before and after moving to a very nice gated community in Spring Hill.

Jen loved the friends she made at USF, who called themselves The Girls, all of whom were in attendance at her Celebration of Life at The Sylvan Abbey Estate Home in Clearwater, FL for which the family was grateful. She also had a very dear friend Teresa who made a visit to Jen’s home in Spring Hill, out of concern for her and noticed that Jen seemed very ill whereupon she immediately placed a phone call to a family member that literally saved Jen’s life in May of last year; and for that, we all are extremely grateful, It gave Jen a chance to live fourteen additional months, ten of which were spent with Carol taking care of her at Jen's home, driving her to medical appointments and the like, all of which Jen was very thankful for. There’s nothing quite like Mom’s tender, loving care when you’re sick.

Jen bravely fought leukemia with chemotherapy and defeated it with a stubborn will to live that made her family and friends so very very proud of her. To restore her strength after that eight-month battle, her loving brother underwent the harvesting of his T cells to give Jen the lifeblood she needed to rebound in the final round and she responded very well to that.

However, in the course of those transfusions, her immune system was required to rebuild itself slowly over the next six months. Because of her compromised immunity, she recently had three consecutive attacks of pneumonia in the later weeks of June and early July in which she was admitted to the hospital each time. In the end, it was obvious to the doctors that each attack was draining her reserves of strength to the point that she could no longer rebound. In the last attack, she was readmitted to Moffitt’s intensive care unit where it became all too apparent that she could not pull through this time due to damage done to her lungs and heart by that hateful disease.

The fervent prayer of the family members at her side that day was this: If Jennifer’s time had truly come, please take her quickly, gently, and without further suffering. That prayer was answered for which we are eternally grateful. Thank you, dear Father.

A Celebration of Jennifer’s Life will be held at The Sylvan Abbey Estate Home on July 29th for her family members and closest friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family please consider donations be made in Jennifer’s name to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.