Jennifer Ann Thompson

Jennifer Ann Thompson, 38, died peacefully in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday, February 11th, 2023, at 7:45pm after a brief battle with metastatic liver cancer. Her husband and close friends sat vigil by her side to send her off with love. She departed this world listening to Bach.

Jenny was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 17th, 1984, to Michael Thompson and Kathy Shanklin (neé Dunham). At age 4 she moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a picturesque suburb of Cleveland, where she would grow up. She was raised in a family of musicians: her father a French hornist, her mother a bassoonist, and her brother Russ a future double bassist. Jenny's upbringing was cradled in a rich tapestry of arts & culture, competitive sports, science, books, music, and travel. Jenny played fiddle in Chagrin Falls High School Orchestra, was a premier goalie on her fiercely competitive, varsity high school soccer team, but also treasured afternoons savoring Impressionist paintings at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Jenny's intrepid, insatiable curiosity and zeal for life were evident to all who knew her, especially her high school friends who she bonded with over period dramas and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Prior to adolescence, she was an avid fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Jenny was an old soul, delighting in the wisdom of her older relatives on her Greek-American and Southern Georgia family lines. Her beloved maternal grandmother Dolores Dunham helped plant the seed of wanderlust in Jenny, and her Greek relatives imbued her with a sense of history and scientific pride. Jenny had an unfathomably kind and generous heart, positively impacting practically all who knew her. A natural born leader, she humbly led by example. Even in her teen years, Jenny exemplified teamwork, thoughtfulness, vision, and adaptability.

After graduating with distinction from Chagrin Falls High School, Jenny went on to earn her BA from SUNY Buffalo, where she played Division 1 Soccer and graduated with honors in Business, French, and Art History in 2008. She distinguished herself in rising to the top of her collegiate class in Calculus, after many tearful tutoring sessions from Dad. Jenny spent one immersive semester studying abroad in Avignon, France, where her intrigue for European culture was further piqued. Endowed with excellent French, she challenged herself with vigorous coursework and existentialism studies. She went on to earn a Masters in International Development from University of Birmingham, UK in 2009. For part of her Masters, Jenny studied abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan, writing her thesis on the socio-economic and government-caused inequalities created by citizens' topographic location. She enthusiastically learned Russian for her assignment, which served her well in the future tense.

Through graduate school Jenny met her future husband Thom Townsend, whom she married on January 26th, 2013 in a civil ceremony in London. They made London their home, adopting their cherished cat Marge. Cats were an ever-present feature in Jenny's life and a subject of inexhaustible ardor.

Being a Renaissance woman, Jenny transitioned into the tech sector shortly after graduation. She was proud of the major advancements she helmed in the field of digital marketing and data analytics there. During her 5 years with Google, she created and designed a data analytics system that Google still uses to this day. Jenny was a consummate leader in her department, mentoring and supporting teams and colleagues with grace, humor, positivity, and ingenuity. For working women especially, Jenny forged a profound and lasting model for problem-solving and success. Jenny was a lifelong feminist, always raising others up while striving for excellence. She never lost sight of others humanity, and cheered everyone on in finding their potential. She also relished cross-cultural experiences through her many business trips around the world. Jenny planted seeds of friendship everywhere she went.

In December 2021, Jenny accepted a new position as Senior Director of Customer Experience at Adidas in Amsterdam, where she and her husband moved. It was an exciting new chapter in her life, giving her the opportunity to learn Dutch and reignite her passion for sports through work. Jenny loved living within walking distance of the Rijksmuseum and the Concertgebouw, being surrounded by Art Deco buildings and Dutch architecture. She joined a tennis club and played competitive Doubles tennis, winning a tournament her first year there.

Throughout her adult life, Jenny traveled extensively and pursued a wide array of interests, always craving new challenges. A deeply visual and artistic soul, Jenny's favorite place was typically the art museum. She was exceptionally well-read, a brilliant mind, an idealist with a delightfully goofy, absurdist wit. Unfailingly loyal to her friends regardless of time and distance, she wove a rich tapestry of connections from Auckland to Nairobi to San Francisco and everywhere in between. Jenny was an adventurous cook and consummate hostess, frequently inviting foreign friends into her home for an American Thanksgiving. As an epicurean and sweet tooth, Jenny was steadfast in researching all the best gustatory finds in any given place and pointing you in their direction.

As an aesthete, Jenny had a sharp eye for beauty and had exquisite taste. She lived by an unspoken life philosophy of altruism, empathy, curiosity, and timelessness. When she wasn't planting flowers in her garden or reading a new Italian novel, she was teaching herself printmaking or baking Greek pastries. Jenny was proud of her Greek ancestry and made several genealogy trips to Crete. Through these trips, she was able to live vicariously through her Mediterranean ancestors.

Jenny's inimitable and inspiring spirit will be deeply missed by the multitude of people she touched during her 38 years on earth. She is survived by her husband, Thom Townsend; her beloved feline Marge; her parents Michael Thompson and Katherine Shanklin; her brother Russell Thompson; her aunts and uncles, Mary Wasilko, Claire Dunham, Jim and Deb Dunham, and Robbie Dunham; her parents-in-law Annie and Pete Townsend, and a host of other relatives, friends, and colleagues. She was preceded in death by her beloved paternal grandmother Jenny Tsevdes, maternal grandmother Dolores Dunham, her aunt Cathy Jeffers, and aunt Linda Atanasoff.

In lieu of flowers, please contribute a donation to the Cleveland Museum of Art "In memory of Jennifer Ann Thompson"