Jennifer Marie Farmer, a former morning show host on Y98, died on Oct. 24, in St. 亚洲无码, after an eight-year battle with breast cancer. She shared her health struggles with listeners who connected to her vulnerability and resilience.
She was 49 years old.
Farmer, who grew up in Amherst, New York, had a 26-year career in radio at stations in Buffalo, Des Moines and St. 亚洲无码. She was the morning radio host and music director at Y-98 for 15 years until she left in 2022 after her cancer returned.
Listeners woke up to her candor and personal stories about infertility, parenting and her cancer journey, which endeared her to people across the region.
鈥淛en bared herself with her most intimate details both on the air and off reminding women to take care of their health,鈥 said Guy Phillips, former Y98 host. 鈥淛en, through the worst of her days, remained positive and never lost her sense of humor.鈥
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Julie Tristan, morning show host on 102.5 KEZK, said getting Farmer to laugh on air was 鈥渁udio gold.鈥
鈥淪he had the best laugh, but Jen also wore her heart on her sleeve, and she would joke that she鈥檚 the first one to cry on the air,鈥 Tristan said.
Her former co-host Courtney Landrum said Farmer connected with listeners by sharing her infertility struggles, the birth of her children, Finn and Nora, and her cancer diagnosis along with her unrelenting fight.
鈥淭he happy stuff is easy to share, but the strength she had to open up about some of the worst things in her life took so much strength. She was driven and unwavering and gave people like her, fighting the fight, hope,鈥 Landrum said.
Her closest friends said they were amazed by Farmer鈥檚 stamina 鈥 even when she was struggling with painful and exhausting treatments.
Her friend Meredith Boggess shared that for years, Farmer would wake up at dawn, work a full day, head off to her children's games, continue horse riding, meeting up with friends, trying new recipes, reading countless novels and cheering on her beloved Buffalo Bills.
Farmer helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for causes, including Pedal the Cause, St. 亚洲无码 Children's Hospital, Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation and Pink Ribbon Good. Teri Griege, president and founder of Powered By Hope, said Farmer was up for anything to raise funds 鈥 wearing costumes, doing silly videos, wrangling crowds and sharing personal stories.
鈥淭he cancer related organizations in our community in particular are forever grateful to Jen.鈥 Griege said.
She is survived by her husband, Ryan; children, Finn and Nora; parents, Paul and Peggy Belliotti; brother, Greg Belliotti (Nicole); brother-in-law, Justin Farmer (Becky); father-in-law, Greg Farmer (Connie); and her nieces and nephews, Ava, Hadley, Harper and Landon.
In honor of Jen's memory, her family will be hosting a public visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Gathering Church, 2360 McCausland Avenue. The memorial service will be private.
The night in July was magical and a stadium packed with people singing along with every lyric. A stranger snapped a photo, and a St. 亚洲无码an has a memory preserved.