Jennifer Lee Stringham passed away peacefully in Richland, Washington at the age of 79. She was born October 5,1944 in Phoenix, Arizona to Arthur Edmond Lee and Betty Jane Merrell.
On April 5,1972 she married Mark James Stringham in the Idaho Falls Temple. She and her husband Mark moved to Washington state where they raised their five children.
Jennifer went back and earned an Associates in Science degree in Nursing in 1989 after her children were all in school. She enjoyed working in pediatrics for many years. She served in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in many roles. As a young adult she served a mission in France and later in life served another mission with her husband in Des Moines, Iowa. She also loved her time serving in the temple. Her greatest joy in life was loving and raising her family and spending time with her grandchildren.
Survivors include her husband, Mark James Stringham of Richland Washington; sons, Brian Mark Stringham (Melissa) of Kent, Washington, Jason Lee Stringham (Jennifer) of Lititz, Pennsylvania, James Arthur Stringham of Kent, Washington; daughters, Rebecca Stringham Kidd (Jason) of Maple Valley, Washington, Maria Stringham Mendenhall (Eric) of Richland, Washington, 12 siblings, and 17 grandchildren.
Funeral Service will be held June 1, 2024 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 11214 214th Avenue East, Bonney Lake, Washington. The family will visit with friends and there will be a viewing and from 10 to 10:45am and services at 11am. Burial will be at The City of Buckley Cemetery.
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My Facebook Post...
My Mother-in-law was (I hate using past tense) one of the realest people I’ve ever met. She found true joy in just about everything. She saw you for who you truly were- good, bad & ugly- and she loved you for exactly who you were. Each of her 17 grandkids honestly thought that they were her favorite- because they each were! She was kind. She was sweet. Her laugh was adorable, especially when she and Jason were goofing around. She was incredibly proud of her family, and
always made sure they knew it. She loved life so much that she fought so dang hard for over 100 days to keep living. She was… IS… loved by so, so, so many people. And that is all you can hope for in the end.
Until we get to dance together in his presence…
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I'm sad for Jason, but I am devastated that my kids don't get her in their lives anymore. She was always truly interested in what they were doing, thinking and feeling. She loved spending one on one time with them. Her optimism was mind boggling sometimes, but welcomed. She was dependable. And she knew how to love. I wrote her a letter a few weeks before she fell asleep and never woke up again...
Here’s my note ❤️
Grandma…
I remember the first time I ever drove Jaylee to the beach, a brand new song cameon the radio that made me break down in tears. It was called I Can Only Imagine. It was a happy song about arriving in Heaven. I was overcome with how awesome it was that Jaylee would be in God’s presence one day.
This past Sunday, I spent some time alone, intentionally praying for you and Grandpa. When I was done, I turned the radio on and the same song was on… 20+ years later. My favorite part was just beginning… “Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to sing at all?…”
I know you’ve mentioned many times that you would love to be able to go dancing… so these words jumped right out at me! In such a happy, joyous way!! I know your hip hurts, and you’re worn out and not much up for dancing right now… but one day we will dance together!!!!! I know some of our beliefs differ a little, but I truly believe that our core beliefs are the same. I have peace in my heart that Jason and I will dance with you in Heaven one day- and what a fun celebration that will be!! I love you. By knowing you, I have learned to be more gracious, patient and accepting of people’s true selves. I am honored to be your daughter… and I don’t think I’ve ever told you that, so I am writing to you now, to let you know. My children are so so so blessed to have you guys as their grand parents. And thank you for raising Jason to prioritize our marriage like he does.
I am hoping to see you this summer!
Love, Jenn
Here’s the song… you will love it! (if you don’t already)
https://youtu.be/N_lrrq_opng?si=EeXnkVomtngUd-J8 (https://youtu.be/N_lrrq_opng?si=EeXnkVomtngUd-J8)
I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me
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I'm so glad that Jason got to fly out twice with her in the final months and spend some really nice one on one time with her and his sisters ad Dad.
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