Jennifer M. Patton ’86

Jennifer M. Patton, of Waltham, died suddenly on November 21, 2019, nine days before her 51st birthday. She was a world traveler, visiting Turkey, Spain, Greece, England, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, and the Bahamas among other places. Also, Jen was an activist, technical writer and cat rescuer. She had just completed her one-year anniversary working as a Senior Technical Writer at Red Hat.

Jen had lived in many places, including Kenosha, WI, Cary, Il, Saudi Arabia (no place for a teenager as she pointed out), Mountain View, CA, and Baltimore, MD, but Waltham was her home. Jen was an extrovert and could talk to anyone. She was a warm, generous person with a delightful sense of humor. She was very active in many organizations, to name a few: Progressive Waltham, the Waltham Democratic City Committee, Diaper Depot, Green Rows of Waltham (GROW) and The Cat Connection. She was very interested in affordable housing, especially for those who wish to age in place in their home town, as she had hoped to do. She was a feminist through and through and a strong voice for so many.

A proud alumna of Wellesley College, Class of 1990, she was looking forward to attending her 30th class reunion this June – she will be there in spirit. We must tell of her love of the Red Sox. She was an avid reader and loved to discuss books, movies, ideas – well, just about anything. Jen was a member of First Parish Universalist Unitarian Church in Waltham.

She was predeceased by her younger brother, Andrew, who she always remembered. She is survived by her parents, Maureen and Tom Patton, her husband, Scott Shurr, many relatives, her dear friend, Melissa Honig, her friends, Sarah Hankins, Shirley Boschen Traite, Alice Taylor, Belinda Jentz and many others. We would be remiss not to mention her cats, Finn and Fergus, who she loved dearly and took such excellent care of. She was a compassionate, thoughtful woman, and will be missed by many.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to The Greater Boston Food Bank, 70 South Bay Ave., Boston, MA 02118, Ph: (617) 427-5200 or The Cat Connection, P.O. Box 541435, Waltham, MA 02454, Ph: (781) 899-4610. A Celebration of Jen’s Life will be held at a future date.

2 thoughts on “Jennifer M. Patton ’86”

  1. So sad to hear about Jen. Gone way too soon. I so enjoyed re-connecting with her a few years back at reunion and hearing about some of her adventures and certainly her passionate work within her Waltham community. She was smart, confident, vibrant and always with a smile – she will be missed.

  2. I am so very sad to hear this news. I remember Jen well, always smiling and laughing, friendly and warm to everyone. My condolences to her family.

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