Jennifer Goff
Nov 29, 1977 -
Nov 4, 2021
On the afternoon of Nov. 4, 2021, Jennifer Ellen Goff died in her Kennesaw, Ga., home after a three-year bareknuckle brawl with abdominal cancer. Those closest to her called her "Jenna." She was only 43 years old.
Born on Nov. 29, 1977, in Anchorage, Alaska, Jenna was the sixth of seven children shared by Charles and Dianne (Shullaw, Anderson) O'Connell. Upon graduating high school with honors in 1995, Jenna was accepted to the University of Oregon, where, in just four years, she graduated with three bachelor's degrees in Russian, Russian history and international diplomacy. Again, with honors.
Shortly after graduating university, Jenna began her journey up the corporate ladder, moving to Seattle, Wash., and starting her career at Microsoft in 2001. In 2016, she accepted the job at Amazon that would later relocate her family to Kennesaw in 2018.
Jenna is survived by her husband, Michael Goff (47); and two beautiful children, Lillian (10) and Logan (5). The children's grandmother, Priscilla Goff (76), along with her four surviving siblings, Shannon O'Connell (54), Jeff Anderson (53), John O'Connell (52) and Jessye Schmitz (41), all took shifts caring for her and the family in her final months, weeks, days and hours. Her husband was holding her hand as she passed.
Additionally, Jenna is survived by her aunt, Jerry Anne Peterson (84); her four amazing daughters and their families; as well as her beloved nieces and nephews: Alei O'Connell (30), Tristan Lee (Anderson) Jordan (25), Charlie Koppang-O'Connell (17), Delaney Koppang-O'Connell (15) and Myah Schmitz (16).
Jenna is preceded in death by both her father, Charles (1942-2011); and her mother, Dianne (1945-2018). She also joins her grandparents on both sides, as well as her eldest sister, Catherine Colleen (1965-1981). A remembrance service will be held in Snohomish, Wash., on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, at 6 p.m., at the First Congregational Church of Maltby, 21111 86th Avenue SE. A reception will follow. If inclined to do so, please consider a donation to The Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Research Foundation, www.acpmp.org, in Jenna's honor.
