Jennifer Lee Hildbold,  April 1, 1952 – October 15, 2024.  Jennifer was able to remain at her home, with the support of her sister Jovann, Ana and with Hospice assistance.  Jennifer was born in Greenville, Ohio on 1 April, 1952.  She is predeceased by her father, Maurice Hildbold of Ohio and mother, Julia Gamble Hildbold of Alabama. Survived by her sister, Jovann Hildbold (Ana Torres) of Orange Park, Florida.

Jennifer earned her Master’s Degree in School Counseling from the University of South Florida.  Beginning her School Counseling career at Hawthorne Elementary in Alachua County,  she relocated to Pasco County School District, providing 35 years (1980 to 2015) of service to students, families, and staff.

Jennifer was described by colleagues and friends as a gentle, remarkably kind individual, a helpful, generous and intelligent peer, and a skilled and compassionate school counselor, who was a tireless advocate for her students and families. Jennifer touched and improved the lives of many students with her gentle ways and professional skills. Her service to the school district was exemplary.

If you know anything about Jennifer,you know she had a quirky sense of humor and a lean towards theatrics.

There are pictures of her being “murdered” and pushed into a dumpster by her roommate in college. Influenced by news events at the time, she called it the “Hoffa Effect”. She loved cartoonists such as Gahan Wilson and B. Kliban whose cartoons were riddled with satirical jabs. Wilson, a Playboy magazine cartoonist, probably gave birth to the “Wa-Ha” laugh that she had. In her teen years when she took breaks while working in her dad’s grocery store, you’d find her sitting on the magazine shelf, in  the front of the store reading Playboy. She never covered the magazine,she was just reading the Wilson comics, it was the laugh that turned heads. A strong believer in equal rights for women, she participated in many marches demanding the issue be addressed and resolved. A 1972 edition of the newspaper, Tallahassee Democrat, has an up close picture of Jennifer marching in a parade championing the rights of women. Her face reflected the strength of will and determination to fight for a cause that she believed in. It could be defined as stubbornness, which she was, but it grew from a true passion of correcting a perceived injustice. Jennifer’s quiet, calming demeanor and thoughtful problem solving always rose above the dissenting noise of the opposition and diffused any situational conflict she encountered both professionally and personally. Family members would never argue with her because of her ability to calmly convince them of the error of their ways. When she would say, “lets problem-solve”, you were history and honestly, she was always right. She scored twice,because you just loved her even more on top of losing the argument.

Jennifer loved finding and attending seasonal festivals, farmers markets, antiquing and PRODUCE shopping! Her other passion was fitness. Her 5 ft, 120 lb frame belied  her physical abilities.Her physical activity and competitiveness defined the way she lived her life. She never quit, never gave up on any goal that she set for herself, be it jazzercising or walking 365 days a year to nurturing children or causes that required action. She loved Westerns, stories and sagas that defined the spirit and the ability to move on because the future will always change. She believed it, wanted it for herself, and others. Though not always successful, she never stopped believing. Her desire for a Hallmark movie ending never ceased. She would say, “Who doesn’t want a perfect ending?!”