Husband Douglas Scott Becraft [9669] (details suppressed for this person)
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Father: Terrance Lee Becraft [8840]
Mother: Rosemary K [9521]
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Wife Jessica Lynn Gilbertson [15130]
Born: 20 May 1984 - Rockford, Winnebago Co, IL
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Died: 6 Sep 2021 - Western Springs, , IL
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Events
• Her obituary was published. Obituary
Jessica Lynn BeCraft, nee Gilbertson, age 37 - Jessica Lynn BeCraft of Western Springs, IL passed away September 6, 2021 with her family by her side after a forty-three-month battle with ovarian cancer. She will be deeply missed by her husband of five years Douglas BeCraft, their three-year-old daughter Harper BeCraft, her mother Diana Gilbertson, her brother Nicholas (Christina) Gilbertson, her niece Emilia Gilbertson, her father Thomas Gilbertson, her grandmother Joyce Gilbertson, many aunts, uncles, cousins, and innumerable friends.
Jessica was born in 1984 in Rockford, IL. She attended Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford and went on to earn a BS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She began her career with Kohl's in Milwaukee and later earned an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business before moving to the Chicago area where she joined Kraft Foods in 2011. With Kraft, and later Kraft Heinz, she worked in marketing, brand management, general management, and human resources in roles of increasing responsibility including management of familiar brands such as Jello, Back to Nature, Velveeta, and "Blue Box" Mac-and-Cheese. She was revered by her co-workers as a great colleague, leader, friend, and mentor.
Jessica possessed a great mind, and an even better witty, fun, and sometimes brutally honest personality. She had a real a sense of adventure and a tremendous love of friends and family. She was loyal and giving to those around her and always the party planner who loved bringing people together for special occasions and holidays. She especially loved Christmas. She enjoyed watching Christmas movies in July, decorating the house a little too early, and playing Christmas music as soon as she saw the first snow every year. She loved to sing, a trait she has passed on to her daughter. She loved to travel near and far including her favorite stops across the world in Singapore, Sweden, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Cancer did not take away her love of travel as she enjoyed planning annual trips to lake towns throughout Michigan where she made her happiest memories surrounded by family on the water.
Jessica loved to serve others and make an impact on the community. She was a mentor with Chicago Scholars and was an active member at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church where she sang in the Deck the Hall choir. She became an advocate for ovarian cancer awareness and research through the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance where she actively shared her experience with medical students through OCRA's Survivors Teaching Students program to improve their awareness and become compassionate physicians. Recognizing the need to advance research in low-grade ovarian cancer specifically, she used her professional skills and go-getter mentality to bring together other like-minded survivors and co-founded the STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation (www.staaroc.org) which is dedicated to funding the work of scientists who are focusing on low-grade ovarian cancer. As of today, STAAR has raised over $250k for medical research and her legacy will live on through the organization.
Jessica and her family would like to thank her friends, her co-workers at Kraft Heinz, her Northwestern Medicine care team, and the ovarian cancer survivor community for their love, care, and support.
A memorial will be established in Jessica's name at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In lieu of flowers, please donate via Venmo to @nick-gilbertson-2 or via Zelle to Jessmemorialfund@gmail.com.
Memorial Visitation Sunday, September 12th from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Sullivan Funeral Home, 60 South Grant Street, Hinsdale, IL 60521. Family and Friends will meet for a Memorial Mass on Monday, September 13th at 9:30 a.m. at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 700 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661. Interment Private.
Arrangement made By Sullivan Funeral Home. www.sullivanfuneralhomehinsdale.com or 630-323-0275.
Children
1 F Harper Rose Becraft [15131] (details suppressed for this person)
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