Jennifer Lee Barber, 41, of Crete passed away on January 20, 2017. She was born on July 12, 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska to Richard and Susan (Salinger) Shafer.
Jennifer was born in Lincoln but was raised and lived her life in Crete. Jennifer was blessed with two boys, Joshua Logan and Nicholas James. Jen's boys were her greatest pride and joy. Jen worked for the State of Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for more than 18 years. During her time with the State of Nebraska Jen held several positions most recently as a Medicaid Provider Fraud Investigator. In 2009 Jen graduated from Peru State College with her Bachelor's degree in Business all while working full time and raising her boys as a single mother. Jen was involved in many activities in the community and in her boys' lives. She was a member and volunteered a lot of her time to the Crete Booster Club and the Crete Post Prom Committee. She actively attended all the boys' activities from sports, to theater, music, and church events. Jen was active in the breast cancer community as well. Jen mentored several breast cancer patients and helped guide them through their own battles. Jen was named an advocate for the Young Survival Coalition an organization dedicated to issues unique to young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Jen was also a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crete, Ne. Jen will be remembered for her never ending love of her boys, her amazing sense of humor, her caring heart, her perseverance, her tenacity for life, and most of all her unforgettable smile.
Jen is survived by her boys Josh and Nick, her parents Susan and Larry Krepl, sisters Katy Meredith and Kathy Hunter, grandmother Shirley Salinger, aunts, uncles, cousins, and her abundance of friends of whom she loved and also loved her like family. She was preceded in death by her father Richard Shafer, grandfather Eugene Salinger, great grandparents Herb and Tillie Wergin, Glen and Doris Shafer.
Services will be held on Wednesday January 25, 2017 at 11:00 am at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crete. Visitation will be on Tuesday January 24, 2017 beginning at 3:00 pm at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete. Family will receive friends from 5-8pm with a prayer service at 7:00. In lieu of flowers an account (Jennifer Barber Memorial) has been established for Josh and Nick's college education at Pinnacle Bank in Crete . Kuncl Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.