Jennifer Swope Obituary

Obituary

Jennifer Lynn Swope entered into her eternal rest on July 23, 2025, at her home in Derry, surrounded by her loving family.
Jenny was born on September 29, 1962 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Marjorie and Donald Wurzelbacher. She was raised in Cincinnati with her 3 brothers, Don, Rick, and Bob, and attended Macauley High school, the University of Cincinnati, and Indiana University.
During her last year of college, Jenny met her husband Paul at a pro-life conference in Cologne Germany, and was instantly smitten by the one she called "the most interesting man I had ever met." After a brief long-distance courtship, Jenny and Paul were married on August 25, 1985. They then embarked on an epic 7-month honeymoon, trekking across 14 countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Upon return to the United States, Jenny and Paul lived in Waltham MA, before settling in Derry NH. Together, they raised 9 beautiful children.
Jenny experienced marriage as a "school of love." She found her divine calling in her housework, small details of affection for others, and care for her husband, children, and a growing number of friends. She was an avid gardener and a homebody, devoted to her vegetable patch and her chickens, and she never grew out of her love for babies and children. She was also very involved in her local community: a loyal parishioner of St Thomas Aquinas Parish for over 30 years, a beloved member of the STA choir, and a facilitator of multiple middle school girls clubs and the STA mom's group.
Jenny's life was founded on a bedrock of prayer. She attended mass and said the rosary every day, and was committed to a life in dialogue with God. As a member of Opus Dei, a lay movement in the Catholic Church, she accompanied many other women on their life journeys, listening to their struggles and offering counsel on spiritual and family matters, counsel which was the fruit of her own experience and the overflow of her deep interior life. In every circumstance, she considered the burdens and the virtues of others much greater than her own.
In June 2024, Jenny was diagnosed with terminal glioblastoma. Over the course of the following year, she was, as she put it, "spoiled," showered with love and affection by her friends and community. She was cared for with the utmost devotion by her family, especially her daughter Ruth, her son Nathan, and her "Beloved," Paul. She was blessed with a peaceful death, much like her peaceful life: at home, in the presence of her family, including her newborn grandchild.
She is survived by her mother, Marjorie, her three brothers, her husband Paul, and her nine children: Tessie, John (Camille), Joseph (Gillian), Emily (Andrew), Nathan, Aaron (Hope), Ruth, Evan, and Jacinta, as well as 12 grandchildren.
The wake will be Sunday, July 27th from 1:00pm – 5:00pm at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 26 Crystal Ave., Derry. A Funeral Mass will be Monday July 28th at 10:00am at St. Joseph's Cathedral, 145 Lowell St, Manchester, NH followed by a Celebration of Life Luncheon at 12:30pm in the Aquinas Center behind St. Thomas Aquinas Church. The burial will be Tuesday July 29th at 10:00am at St. Joseph's Cemetery in the Field of St. Ann, W. Roxbury MA.
In lieu of flowers, please make out all donations to Arnold Hall Conference Center, PO Box 528, N. Pembroke, MA. 02358 or at https://www.arnoldhall.com/donate/
For those who cannot come to the funeral in person, here is the link to the 24/7 livestream from the cathedral (scroll down to Live Stream from the Cathedral)
https://www.stjosephcathedralnh.org/

Directions to Funeral Home