Jennifer Renee Jones Alexander

Jennifer was a scholar. She attended Emmanuel Christian School and Maria High School. She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a degree in Secondary Education and DePaul University with a Master's in Education. Her thesis was entitled a "Memoir of an Urban School Teacher" in which she explored her experiences teaching in an inner city high school "in order to take a closer look at how climate and culture, as it related to the school's mission and vision, functioned within the school space." Before Jennifer passed, she was accepted into the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) PHD program in Literacy Language, and Culture and successfully completed her first semester.

Jennifer was a wife. Jennifer and Jarvis met and started dating while attending UIUC their freshman year in the fall of 2001 and have enjoyed a beautiful relationship ever since. On June 26, 2010, Jarvis and Jennifer were married on the beautiful beaches of Negril, Jamaica, in front of a small group of their closest family and friends. Together, they had one child, Deacon Lee Alexander, in 2013.

Jennifer was a mother. Her heart and soul belonged to her son, Deacon Lee Alexander. Her love for Deacon was as large and vibrant as her son's afro. Even though Jennifer was receiving treatment throughout most of her son's life, she still found the energy and strength to raise, care for, and love her son unconditionally.

Jennifer was a teacher. At the start of her career in 2005, Jennifer worked as a high school teacher at Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA). In 2008, Jennifer joined the Curie High School family. Whether at CVCA or Curie, Jennifer dedicated herself to her students and their success. Jennifer taught English at both CVCA and Curie. Additionally, Jennifer acted as the Student Council Advisor, a role she loved immensely.

Jennifer enjoyed life. She was an amazing soul who enjoyed reading, writing, baking, Gilmore Girls, Beyonce, and spending time with family and friends. During her fight with cancer, Jennifer added running 5k races to her ever-growing lists of accomplishments. Additionally, Jennifer was a lifelong learner and dedicated her life to developing learning practices and techniques designed to improve the academic performance of inner-city students.

Jennifer is survived by her husband, Jarvis Alexander; son, Deacon Lee Alexander; mother, Cammie Jones; father, Robert Jones Sr.; three brothers Jay Jones, Robert Jones, Sean Jones, and sister Jacqueline Studyway.

A memorial service organized by her family and friends will be held at the Drake and Sons Funeral Home on Tuesday, December 27, 2016. Memorial donations may be made in Jennifer's name to:

• The Ulman Cancer fund for Young Adults (UCF)

• Healing Heels, and

• the Young Survival Coalition.

Jennifer Renee Jones Alexander lived an amazing life and, through her fight with breast cancer, she resonated with the following lyrics from her favorite artist:

"I want to leave my footprints on the sand of time

Know there was something that, something that I left behind

When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets

Leave something to remember, so they won't forget

I was here, I lived, I loved, I was here

I did, I've done, everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I will leave my mark, soul, everyone will know, I was here"

Beyonce - I Was Here