Jennifer Deborah Lynn Newman

Jennifer Deborah Lynn Newman, beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, friend was called home to be with her Savior on Sunday, June 10, 2018 at her home in Arlington, TX. She slipped away peacefully, secure in her faith, surrounded by her family and her devoted dog Jet. She was 26.

Jenny was born on July 7, 1991 to David and Rachel Newman, the second of three daughters. She was baptized into the saving faith of Jesus on August 4th by Rev. Mel Newman, her uncle, at Mission Lutheran Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Faithfully pledging to support her in her lifelong spiritual journey were her godparents Mel and Karen Newman and Scott and Rhoda Quarterson. She confirmed her faith on June 5, 2005 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in North Richland Hills, TX. She chose for her bible verse John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but through Me.”

She attended James Martin High School in Arlington, TX where she excelled in everything she did. She devoted herself to learning to play the cello and to playing soccer. She surrounded herself with friends from her youth group, soccer team, and classes. She loved her annual mission trip to the south Texas border to teach vacation bible school to the local kids. Every summer for 5 years she shared the teachings of the Lord to children looking for a place to belong. She graduated in the top 2% of her class in the spring of 2009.

She attended Texas Christian University where she made more lifelong friends. She became an RA in her dorm, and her hall director said of her: “She had such a unique thought process and zest for adventure”. She loved to exercise and to bake and did a whole bunch of both.

She was diagnosed with Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma (FHC) at the beginning of 2012. Despite numerous setbacks and missing almost a semester of classes, she still graduated on time, and with honors, in 2013, earning a Bachelor of Science in Movement Science. She was accepted into Colorado State University’s graduate program in Health and Exercise Science, and was offered a Graduate Teaching Assistant position. She attended and taught classes, made so many new friends and influenced countless more. She again graduated with honors in 2015. She moved back to Texas where she accepted a job offer to work as a Health Fitness Specialist for a company called EXOS.

There is one common belief held by everyone Jenny has met and influenced over the years. Everyone says that she was the strongest person they knew. Jenny was a fighter. She never let anything stop her from getting what she wanted or from achieving the goals she set for herself. She once wrote, “Praise God for trials and tribulations, because without them I would not be who I am.” She knew how to live life. Despite her 6 year battle with cancer, she pursued her dreams with a dogged persistence that impressed all who knew her. She took each setback in stride, overcame it, and kept going.

She was blessed by so many who helped her and her family to achieve all but one of her bucket list goals, as well as so many more that she continually added. She even went back to work after seeing the world. She refused to sit at home. At Simpli.fi, a digital advertising company in Ft. Worth, she found yet another family that loved her and were inspired by her. She found enjoyment in the simple things: in dying her hair crazy colors, in walking Jet, in enjoying sushi, in horseback riding. Simply by smiling with her heart and shining her light, she attracted all of the best kinds of people. She was intelligent, beautiful, fun-loving, and so very stubborn. She didn’t rest until she knew that both her sisters were taken care of. She made sure she was there to see Clare graduate from PA school and pass her boards. But above all, she shared the love of Christ with everyone she met. Her unwavering faith in her Savior shone through everything she did. She left this world a better place than she found it.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Jenny is survived by her parents David and Rachel Newman, her sisters Sarah and Clare, her grandmothers Kathy Newman and Ethel Schmid, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of her family. Her family and countless friends will miss her terribly, but because of the grace of our Lord, we know that we will see her again!