Jennifer Eileen Hughes

1973 - 2022

Jennifer Eileen Hughes
November 15, 1973 - May 16, 2022
Salinas, CA
Jennifer died on Monday, May 16th after an unexpected complication from a prolonged illness. She was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her passing. Jennifer was born in Philadelphia, PA to her loving parents Stephen Hurst and Maureen O'Connell. Jennifer's family moved many times throughout her school years due to her father's military service. The family settled in the Monterey area in 1989 when Jennifer was a sophomore in high school and she became a student at Monterey High. After graduation, Jennifer went on to get an Associate's Degree in Business. She then moved to the Sacramento area where she married Mark Hughes and had her daughter Madeline, her absolute pride and joy. After the marriage ended, Jennifer and Madeline moved back to the Monterey area. At that time Jennifer became the office manager for the El Rancho Mobile Home Park in Marina where her own grandmother lived and where she was loved by the residents. Because of her work with the park and an associated apartment complex in Marina, Jen received an award from the City of Marina for her outstanding work in helping veteran's find affordable housing. Around this time Jennifer met her future fiancé, Tony Medoza. Tony and Jen loved each other very much and had been together for over eight years at the time of her passing. In 2018 Jennifer started working for Costco in the optical department and became a licensed optician. Jennifer enjoyed her work as an optician tremendously as it combined her love for helping others with her exceptional customer service and people skills. Throughout her life Jennifer was known for her many passions which she shared with those her knew her. She was a Washington Redskins fan and an especially big fan of wide receiver Art Monk. She also followed NASCAR and was the number one fan of Dale Earnhardt (and had the #3 and checkered flag tattoo to prove it!). Jennifer also loved to crochet in her spare time and made many beautiful blankets for friends and family over the years. Jennifer enjoyed a special relationship with her dad, Steve. She and Steve spent many hours together at the Carmel Gun Club enjoying their passion for marksmanship and competed in many matches together. Jennifer was a force of nature and anyone who met her never forgot her. She was a light of humor, charisma, energy, compassion and love and she will be terribly missed. She is survived by her daughter Madeline Hughes, her fiancé Tony Mendoza, her parents Stephen Hurst and Maureen O'Connell, and her sisters Caitlin Sanders and Heather Cashman. She is preceded in death by her paternal grandparents Fred and Aileen Hurst and her maternal grandparents Eamon and Jean O'Connell. Notice of memorial services to follow.


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