JENNIFER LEE HOKE STOUFFER

Jennifer Lee Hoke Stouffer, age 54, of Sycamore, formerly of North Aurora, slipped away into the halls of Heaven, Monday, March 20, 2023, surrounded by the love and prayers of her family following a brave battle with a long illness that may have broken her body, but never her spirit.

She was born February 9, 1969, in Elgin, IL, to proud and loving parents, Richard and Geraldine Hoke.

Jennifer grew up in South Elgin and attended local schools. She graduated from St. Edwards High School with the class of 1987. Before receiving her diploma, she made a name for herself in choir and musical theater.

She continued her education at Elgin Community College and Northern Illinois University but finished her bachelor’s degree in later years from DePaul University in Chicago.

Jennifer was benefited from the hands of fate when she met Bill Stouffer on a blind date. The spark was immediate and grew into a lifetime love affair which led them to the altar on July 6, 1996 at St. Patrick’s Mission Church. They began their new life together in Elburn for a time before making a home in North Aurora where they welcomed a son Maxwell. The family eventually grew by one daughter Reese and who made the family complete.

Jennifer began her working career at David C. Cook Publishing before later moving over to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt where she worked in the accounting and credit collections for many years before learning to become a paralegal in later years.

Jennifer had a heart to love and not just family. She believed in female empowerment and women’s rights and helped support anything that helped her fellow woman. She also supported and benefited from organ donation. Her journey was included in several medical journals and was interviewed by WGN, where her fighting spirit was put on full display. Knowing that her time was short, and that despite a valiant fight, many “firsts” would be missed, Jennifer was able to watch her daughter “graduate” high school in cap and gown, foreshadowing an event that will come years later. Jennifer had a wicked sense of humor that weaved its hilarious threads through every up and down throughout her life. Nothing and no one could bring her down. Practical jokes came as natural as the laughter that followed and everyone benefitted (or succumbed) to her special brand of humor. Jennifer collected angels and nesting hens that graced the nook and crannies of her home. Her Christmas tree was meticulously decorated with a specific number of lights, and the perfect placement of icicles was paramount. Fast cars got her pulse racing, but time spent at the beach made her wish time stood still, especially when it was spent in the company of family and friends. She was a great baker who made your mouth water with the smell of her chocolate chip cookies. Jennifer sweet tooth led her to freshly baked donuts at Harner’s or frozen delights, especially Oberweis shakes or the flavor of the day at Ollies in Sycamore. An avid reader, Jennifer could fill a library with all the titles she read over the years. Her family was her comfort and was never happier than being surrounded both close and extended family who mourn her loss deeply but will always remember the gifts of her love that she gave so freely.  

She now leaves her loving husband of 27 years, Bill Stouffer; two children: Maxwell and Reese Stouffer; her parents, Rich and Gerry Hoke; three siblings: Susan (Keith) Wright, Richard Hoke Jr. and Russell (Nicole Cooper) Hoke; three nieces and nephews: Andrew (Anna) Wright, Ashley Wright and Nicholas Hoke; brother-in-law, Stephen (Linda) Stouffer and their children: Adam (Jessica) Stouffer and Emily (Chad) Bosse; sister-in-law, Linda Sue Schooler and her children: David (Stephanie) Stouffer, Katherine Stouffer, and Jessica Stouffer; mother-in-law, Myrna Stouffer; several cousins and a countryside full of friends, especially The Hat family (you know who you are).

Jennifer is now reunited with her paternal grandparents, Charles and Violet Hoke; maternal grandparents, Donald and Eleanor Kuhagen, father-in-law, Robert Stouffer and brother-in-law, Scott Stouffer.

Private family services and interment will  occur at a later date.

Instead of flowers, Jennifer’s request was to have a memorial be established in her name to benefit her children’s college fund and the American Lung Association.  Checks may be made to the “Jennifer Lee Stouffer Memorial” and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Memories and tributes may also be forwarded to the same address, the Conley Funeral Home Facebook Page, or at www.conleycare.com where you can find her full life story.