Obituary for Jennifer Marie Farmer 2024

St. Louis – Jennifer Marie Farmer (nee Belliotti) – beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, passed away October 24 in St. Louis, MO. She was 49 years old.

Jen was a gift to everyone who knew her. And even though she deserved twice as much time on the planet as she was given, she made the most of every single day, especially during her eight-year breast cancer journey. Born on January 21, 1975 at the Sisters of Charity Hospital to parents Paul and Peggy, Jen was a proud child of the '80s, with a banana seat bike, an unfortunate haircut and an envious collection of mixtapes. Growing up in her hometown of Amherst, NY, she was a skilled violin player and an unskilled basketball player, with her only record counting for the other team.

Jen attended Windermere Boulevard Elementary School and then Amherst Central High School before eventually studying English at Binghamton University. After graduating, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Buffalo and managed to earn one credit before giving it all up to join Ryan, her Midwestern match made in heaven, whom she married in 2003.

Jen combined her love of words and passion for music in a 26-year career in radio at stations in Buffalo, Des Moines and ultimately her adopted hometown of St. Louis. Jen was best known as the popular morning radio host and music director at Y-98, a role she held for 15 years. Her voice was what woke up St. Louis, and her openness and personal stories about infertility, parenting and cancer endeared her to an entire city. Everyone felt like her friend.

Jen loudly and proudly used her voice and her platform—and, on many occasions, a reserve of energy she shouldn't have been capable of—to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for causes close to her heart, including Pedal the Cause, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation and Pink Ribbon Good, to name a few. When it came to helping others, Jen never said no.

But by far her proudest achievement was her two children. From the moment they were born, Finn and Nora were Jen's everything, and their good natures, sense of humor, and sensitive souls are the embodiment of their mother. It was passionate love and the sheer willingness to enjoy every moment of her life with them that allowed her to live with her relentless cancer diagnosis for eight years.

No one had a laugh as joyful as Jen, and it delighted everyone who heard it. The gap she leaves in the lives of those who knew her is enormous, but the impact she leaves behind is also enormous. 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 hold a public viewing at the Gathering Church, 2360 McCausland Ave, on Monday, October 28th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in St. Louis, MO, 63143. The memorial service will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jen's memory to Pedal the Cause, St. Louis Children's Hospital and Pink Ribbon Girls. For those who are so inclined, a GoFundMe has been set up in the family's name to help offset ongoing expenses for Ryan, Finn and Nora. Further information can be found here: https://gofund.me/c9a03800