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Jennafer Alayna-Lee Palmer, a Harrisburg native, passed away at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center on Friday, Jan. 19, according to her obituary.
"She had Encephalitis, which is the swelling of the brain," her sister Jhayda Washington wrote on a GoFundMe fundraising campaign page launched to cover her final expenses. Jhayda noted that Jennafer had been suffering from a terrible case of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis, a painful joint-related autoimmune disease, and encephalitis have previously been linked in scientific studies but no one study has proven a clear connection between the two, according to reports shared on the National Center for Biotechology Information.
Jennafer was a class of 2013 Harrisburg High School SciTech Campus graduate, in 2017 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in English from Penn State University, and in the fall of 2023 she started her final year at North Central University in California for a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, according to her obituary and social media.
"Her goal was to establish a practice in Seattle, Washington," as stated in her obituary.
She was Mu Eta Chapter President and a proud member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. at Penn State University, according to the GoFundMe, her obituary, and Facebook.
Before starting graduate school Jennafer worked as a preschool teacher in the Susquehanna School District in the Ready for School, Ready to Succeed program, according to social media.
"Jennafer was known for her loving, caring spirit, tenacity towards achieving her goals, and maintaining a positive perspective on life. Outside of education, Jennafer enjoyed watching movies, reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends," as stated in her obituary.
Her community has been sharing about its loss on social media.
She's survived by her mom Angela V. Parker of Chesapeake, VA; dad, Jonathan Palmer of Harrisburg, PA; brother James E. Rogers III; sister Jhayda R. Washington (Jaime Fields) all of Virginia Beach, VA; and extended family.
Her funeral service was held at Hooper Memorial Home Inc. located at 3532 Walnut Street in Harrisburg on Monday, Jan. 29.
You can view it in the video player below.
Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Nu Sigma Zeta Chapter – Lisa M. Waller Scholarship, explaining that the 2023 scholarship will be given in Jennafer’s honor. Checks can be mailed to P0 Box 4293 Harrisburg, PA 17111.
Click here to read her full obituary and click here to donate to the GoFundMe campaign.
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