Jennifer Anne Novakoske

Jennifer Anne Novakoske, a resident of Chicago, Illinois passed away on Monday, February 11, 2019 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago due to a pulmonary embolism. A Celebration of Life will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at Loyola University (Water Tower Campus) in Kasbeer Hall (top floor of Corboy Center) in Chicago, Illinois. A Celebration of Life will also be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at the University of Minnesota (McNamara Center) in the Johnson Great Room in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jennifer was born on May 22, 1975 in Staples, Minnesota to Larry and Kathy (Schaffer) Novakoske. She grew up in Little Falls, Minnesota. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of St. Benedict in 1997, her Master's Degree from St. Cloud University in 2000, and her Doctorate in Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in 2007. She began her career as a Clinical Psychologist and transitioned to working in Business/HR Consulting, working for PDI (Personnel Decisions International) in Minneapolis and then Chicago. She continued HR Consulting with PepsiCo and Strategic Talent Solutions in Chicago, and most recently worked as the Director of Talent Management at Golub Capital in Chicago. She was also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Jennifer lived a life full of energy. She had a love for a great many things in her life. She enjoyed watching and participating in many sports. She was an avid runner and competed in multiple races across the country. Jennifer’s love for tennis started when she was a child and she proceeded to play on the Little Falls Flyers varsity tennis team. She continued to play as an adult and participated in a tennis league in Chicago. Jennifer was passionate about traveling and visited numerous countries around the world including Thailand, Singapore, Brazil, Poland, Germany, the UK, Hong Kong, The Netherlands and many others. She loved traveling to beaches and mountains of California, which she visited multiple times every year. Music was always special to Jennifer. She grew up playing the piano and trumpet. As an adult, she enjoyed seeing live music with Seth and her friends, especially her favorite band Pearl Jam. Jennifer’s family included her beloved pets. She grew up with the numerous cats and the family dog, Casey. Later in life, she adopted Chloe and Meisha who lived to be 16 and 18 years, respectively. In 2017, she welcomed her new cat, Gracie Lou Howard, into her life. Jennifer and Grace loved listening to Seth play guitar in their home. Jennifer was a huge support to her nephew, Gavin. She believed that there will be advances in treatment or even a cure for epilepsy in his lifetime. In honor of that, memorials are preferred to the Epilepsy Foundation. Jennifer is survived by her significant other, Seth Howard of Chicago; her father Larry (Mary Kay) Novakoske of Little Falls, MN; her mother Kathy (David) Zimmer of Royalton, MN; her sisters Michelle (Neil) of New Orleans, LA, Kristin and her son Gavin (Jennifer’s endeared nephew and godchild) of Wyoming, MN; many aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends. Memorials are preferred to the Epilepsy Foundation. www.epilepsy.com/donate

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Jennifer Anne Novakoske

May 22, 1975 - February 11, 2019