Jennifer Waskosky Olson

Jennifer L. Waskosky Olson, 33, of Bourbonnais, passed away Monday (Feb. 18, 2013) at the University of Chicago, after her valiant lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. Friday until the 7 p.m. funeral service at the Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home in Bourbonnais. Her childhood friend, the Rev. Chad Ozee, will officiate. Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Maternity BVM Cemetery in Bourbonnais. Memorials may be made to the family wishes. Mrs. Olson was a figure skating instructor at the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena and the Ice Valley Centre Ice Arena in Kankakee. She worked at Riverside Medical Center as a switchboard operator. She was born July 22, 1979, in Kankakee, the daughter of Thomas and Lisa Latham Waskosky. She was a 1997 graduate of Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School and attended Kankakee Community College. She was a competitive figure skater and had the heart of a champion. She loved to bake and was renowned for her cheesecake and red velvet cake. She also loved watching movies and reading. She was a talented seamstress and enjoyed making costumes for her students' competitions and ice shows. She enjoyed showing her family's mastiff, Talladega, in dog shows, winning "Best in Breed" in the Quad Cities. She was devoted to her brother, Porter. Surviving are her husband, John Olson, of Bradley, whom she married Oct. 11, 2003, in Kankakee; parents, of Bourbonnais; one brother, Porter Waskosky, of Bradley; mother-in-law, Peggy Olson; sister-in-law, Christine Olson and her fiance, Jerry Hamilton; maternal grandparents, Porter and Brenda Latham, of Vienna; maternal great-grandmother, LaVerne Lampley, of Vienna; paternal grandmother, Marjorie Waskosky, of Kankakee; aunts, Lori Latham, of Bradley, and Thresa Reato, of Momence; uncles, James (Julia) Waskosky, of Bourbonnais, and Ken (Jody) Waskosky, of Illinois; cousins, Riley and Melissa Mayer, Lia Smietanski, and Jayme and Neil Harvey; her dog, Phoebe; many great-aunts, great-uncles and cousins from the Latham family; lifelong family friends, Pam Gulczynski, Jamie Morris and Sarah Foley; and special friend, Lloyd Klopp. She was preceded in death by her beloved cousin, PV1 Zachary Mayer; great-grandparents, William and Ruth Latham; great-great-grandmother, Bertha Veach; aunts and uncles, Dixie Lynn Latham, William and Mary Latham, Thomas Latham, Betty McClanahan, Nancy Arseneau and Pam Latham.

Jennifer Waskosky Olson

July 22, 1979 - February 18, 2013