Jennifer Farmer, former Y98 radio host, dies of breast cancer at age 49

Farmer, who grew up in Amherst, New York, had a 26-year career in radio at stations in Buffalo, Des Moines and St. Louis. She was a morning radio host and music director at Y-98 for 15 years until she left in 2022 after her cancer returned.

Listeners woke up to her candor and personal stories about infertility, parenting and her cancer story, which endeared her to people across the region.

“Jen revealed her most intimate details both on and off air, reminding women to take care of their health,” said Guy Phillips, former Y98 host. “Despite her worst days, Jen remained positive and never lost her sense of humor.”

Julie Tristan, morning show host at 102.5 KEZK, said getting Farmer to laugh on the show was “audio gold.”

“She had the best laugh, but Jen also wore her heart on her sleeve and she joked that she was the first to cry on the air,” Tristan said.

Her former co-host Courtney Landrum said Farmer connected with listeners by sharing her infertility struggles, the birth of her children Finn and Nora, her cancer diagnosis and her relentless battle.

“The happy things are easy to pass on, but the strength she had to open up about some of the worst things in her life took so much strength. She was ambitious and steadfast and gave hope to people like her who were leading the fight,” Landrum said.

Those closest to her said they were impressed by Farmer's perseverance – even as she struggled with painful and strenuous treatments.

Her friend Meredith Boggess said that for years, Farmer woke up at the crack of dawn, worked all day, went to her children's games, continued to ride horses, met with friends, tried new recipes, read countless novels and cheered on her beloved buffalo Bills.

Farmer helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities including Pedal the Cause, St. Louis Children's Hospital, the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation and Pink Ribbon Good. Teri Griege, president and founder of Powered By Hope, said Farmer is willing to do anything to raise funds — wearing costumes, making silly videos, wrangling crowds and telling personal stories.

“The cancer organizations in our community in particular are forever grateful to Jen,” ​​Griege said.

She is survived by her husband, Ryan; children, Finn and Nora; parents, Paul and Peggy Belliotti; brother Greg Belliotti (Nicole); brother-in-law Justin Farmer (Becky); father-in-law Greg Farmer (Connie); and her nieces and nephews Ava, Hadley, Harper and Landon.

To honor Jen's memory, her family will host a public viewing at the Gathering Church, 2360 McCausland Avenue, on October 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. The memorial service will be private.