Jennifer Leila Stretton

Jennifer Leila Stretton was born on December 13, 1991, in Santa Fe, New Mexico but grew up in the Athens area of Ohio. She unexpectedly passed on Monday, April 17th in Columbus, Ohio. She was an exuberant, charismatic and fiercely independent woman who had an infectious smile and loved to help others.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents William and Norma Stretton and maternal grandparents William and Norma Rappel. Surviving her death are her parents David (Diana) Stretton and Paige Stretton, and her siblings Adrick Stretton and Rebecca Stretton. She also has numerous family members including aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts and uncles, and too many friends to count. Jennifer was very loved.

As a child, Jennifer was vivacious and dynamic with diverse interests including art, softball, music, theater, karate, science and history.  Jennifer excelled in many of these interests and had her art work included in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition and was honored to be selected to participate in Buckeye Girls’ State.

Jennifer graduated from Athens High School in 2010 where she lettered in soccer and continued to be heavily involved in theater, band (French horn), art, and history.  

After high school, Jennifer went on to travel and continue her schooling in different areas. She spent time in Los Angeles, California but ultimately returned to Ohio where she worked and lived in Columbus.  She enjoyed advocating for the LGTBQ+ and women’s rights communities. She loved meeting new people and having adventures in the city. She was outgoing and willing to help people at all turns while never finding strangers.

Jennifer struggled with mental health concerns that included disordered eating. She was the first to tell others about her plight with anxieties and eating issues and willing to help others. Just prior to her death, she was beginning to turn her life around. [She was upfront with her struggles, even filming an episode of Say Yes to the Dress in New York City that she used as a platform in an attempt to bring awareness of disordered eating to a mainstream audience.  While the episode never aired, Jennifer remained positive that she was able to expose some very famous people in the fashion industry to this difficult and misunderstood subject.]

Visitation will be held on Monday, April 24, 2023 from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm with a service at the funeral home starting at 2:00pm. Services will be held at Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home at 168 Morris Avenue, Athens Ohio. Further information and a link to video streaming of the service can be found atwww.hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com