Jenna Marie Coe

Passed Away on September 13, 2019

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Jenna Marie Coe was born in Modesto, California, on March 20, 1986. Growing up, she had a great admiration for her older sister. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior when she was seven years old. She traveled throughout the Midwest on a mission trip before she graduated from Thomas Downey High School.

As Jenna blossomed into adulthood, she moved to Indiana to attend Grace College. She thrived and earned bachelor’s degrees in statistics and math, with a minor in accounting. After graduating, Jenna worked successfully as an accountant.

She again moved cross-country, this time to Phoenix. She joined a Bible-believing church where she formed strong friendships and met the love of her life: Dan. They married in January 2013 and shared a rare, deep and abiding love that was instantly evident to everyone they met. She soon took on the challenge of teaching herself web development and found joy working at her dream job.

Jenna loved reading on her Kindle in her pool or while wrapped in her San Francisco Giants blanket, watching sunsets (and second sunsets), and relaxing on the beach. She enjoyed going on walks and bicycle rides with Dan, weekly family dinners with her in-laws, trips to California to visit family and her niece, going to movies with friends, Arizona monsoon storms, and creating digital scrapbooks for all of her memories. Above all, she treasured the time she spent with her husband, family and friends.

On September 13, 2019, Jenna unexpectedly passed away and went home to Jesus. She had meaningful lifelong friendships, and was loved for her intelligence, sarcastic sense of humor, courage, kindness, honesty, playfulness, devotion, gentleness, empathy, and unwavering faith and moral compass.

Jenna is survived by her husband Dan Coe; parents Paul and Bobbi Cripe; sister and brother-in-law Stephanie and Eddie Vergara; niece Ana Lucía Vergara; grandma Marjorie Cripe; in-laws Jeffrey and Brenda Coe, Jackee Coe and Jessica Coe; and additional cousins and extended family.

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The Celebration of Life for Jenna will be at Mission Community Church, 4450 East Elliott Rd., Gilbert, AZ, 85234. Saturday, September, 28th at 10:30 AM. Family will receive friend from 9:30 until 10:15AM.

A reception will follow at Mission Community Church.

Jenna’s graveside committal service will take place Saturday, September 28th at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, 1562 East Baseline Rd, Mesa, AZ, 85204 at 2:30PM.

In lieu of sending flowers, the family has set up a memorial fund in Jenna’s honor. All the funds will be donated to an appropriate charity that will combat the neurological illness that took Jenna. Donate here: www.gofundme.com/f/jenna-marie-coe-memorial-fund.

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Jenna’s vibrant light shone brightly in this world and now she shines for eternity in Heaven. Inspired by this, her brother-in-law wrote a song in her honor.

“You’ll Always Shine: Jenna’s Song” Themes and music by Eddie Vergara

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

—Matthew 5:14-16

This Bible verse came to mind as we began to think about Jenna. She shed a bright and pure light, one that caught the eye of everyone that was part of her life. She led a life guided by her strong faith and a simple innocence that she carried with her in everything she did. Her love for family was so strong, you could literally touch it via the intimately made presents she gifted us all. It seemed to us all that nothing in this world would prevent this light from shining.

“Jenna’s Song” has four distinct and consecutive themes:

First Theme (Introduction): It shocked us all and rocked us to our cores when suddenly this bright, beautiful, sparkling light ceased to shine. We say, “What happened? Where did it go?  How could it have stopped shining?  How is it possible such light could have disappeared so suddenly?”

Second Theme: We remember the light, its beauty, its steadiness, and its brightness. We replay in our minds our moments with Jenna: Her calm yet sweet voice; her demure yet approachable personality; how she tackled challenges in life grounded by faith and for the glory of God. We can remember this light easily because it was brilliant and clean, uncomplicated, and free from all that could have dimmed it.

Third Theme: Just as we rush for a candle when the lights go out, we long for this light to shine again, so we fall to prayer: “Lord, you have taken Jenna to hold her in your arms, and we miss her terribly. There is such darkness now. … God, help us see her light again.”

Fourth Theme: We hear an answer to our prayer. We are no longer startled or confused about the missing light. God reminds us we are all the light of the world. God’s grace empowers each one of us to keep Jenna’s light shining here on Earth using our own lives. We recognize how Jenna’s distinct light touched our hearts, how we have learned from it, how through our actions — or inactions — we can help the world to see its twinkle. We stand proud and confident knowing that we can make her light shine again and, in turn, that we, too, can make our own light brighter and purer for others to see. We are joyful that through memories of Jenna our lights will evermore “shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

Ending Theme: One day, we will all be called to join Jenna in Heaven, our lights unified as one and shining together in joy before God in Heaven.