Jennifer Lynn Caughron

JENNIFER LYNN CAUGHRON, age 37, of Eau Claire, WI, and formerly of Chanhassen, MN, passed away suddenly on June 29, 2023. She was born in Plano, TX, to parents, Joan and John Caughron. Jenn loved to play in the hot Texas sun during her toddler years. During childhood, she moved with her family to Raleigh, NC and Framingham, MA, before finally settling in Chanhassen. She attended Minnetonka High School, where she was a member of the MHS Treble Choir. She was also a proud member of the Minnetonka Chamber Choir for a year. She paid her own membership dues and earned the money to join their 2003 trip to Festival 500 in Newfoundland, where they participated in ensembles, mass choir performances, and vocal clinics led by Bobby McFerrin. On returning to Minneapolis, the choir encountered a military group returning to the US from Iraq. The girls put on an impromptu concert for the soldiers at the airport, an experience that touched everyone deeply. Jenn started working at age 14, washing dogs at a local grooming shop. Later she worked at Bachman's, Victoria's Secret and Shadywood Tree Care before switching to security at Eden Prairie Mall. She especially loved working in security dispatch and interacting with Eden Prairie law enforcement. In 2014, she was asked to fill in for two weeks as interim director of security at Oakwood Mall in Eau Claire while they sought a permanent hire for that position. She returned home after two weeks, but the new director left soon after that. They offered Jenn the job and she moved to Eau Claire. Jenn did very well as their director, but she was challenged to maintain a full staff and often worked double shifts because of it. That stress took a toll on her health. She left the mall in 2019 and joined Mega Co-op, becoming an Assistant Store Manager at several local Holiday convenience stores. Jenn's health affected every aspect of her life. At age 19, she was diagnosed with end stage liver disease. After 5 years of checkups, tests and declining health, she was no longer able to work. In 2010, she received a living donor transplant, with her older brother James as the generous donor. Her transplant came with serious complications, including a hemorrhagic stroke during surgery, followed by multiple organ failure. After recovering from that she was moved to rehab, where she suffered a grand mal seizure. After 3.5 months in the hospital, she was finally able to come home. Later that year, a follow-up brain scan showed a tumor on her spinal cord, which had to be removed and required weeks of daily radiation treatments. She regained good health for several years, but eventually had some seizures at work and had to resume medication for the rest of her life. Jenn was a free spirit-spontaneous, unfiltered, and fiercely independent. She was fun-loving, deeply caring and tender-hearted by nature, but those traits were often hidden behind a wall of defiance. Her grit made relationships challenging but helped her get through many tough times. She found contentment after moving to an apartment that allowed dogs. In 2015, she adopted Tyson, a sweet but protective Rat Terrier-Chihuahua mix with an abusive past. Jenn was Tyson's third owner. They were a perfect match, enjoying walks, rides around town, and Lake Superior north shore trips together. Tyson was alone with Jenn when she passed. Jenn was preceded in death by maternal grandparents, Donald and Alberta Marfell, and by an infant brother, Jonathan in Texas. In addition to her parents and Tyson, Jenn's survivors include brothers, James (Megan) of Carver and Jeremy of Chanhassen; paternal grandparents, John Sr. and Sondra Caughron, and Diane and Galen Clark; a niece and nephew; and aunts, uncles and cousins. Those who wish to honor Jenn may donate to Chippewa Humane Association or MHealth Fairview. Washburn-McReavy.com Eden Prairie 952-975-0400

Tributes

Jennifer Lynn Caughron

November 16, 1985 - June 29, 2023

Tributes

Jennifer Lynn Caughron

November 16, 1985 - June 29, 2023

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