Celebrating Jennifer
Jennifer was a top-notch student enrolled in the RN program at Snead State Community College. She was a wife to Shane and a stay-at-home mom to 6-year-old Arianna. She valued her faith and her family as the most important parts of her life. But she opened her life up to studying to be a nurse, and she did so with her sister-in-law, Amanda Garmany, at her side.
"We felt God leading us to nursing school. Jennifer was my right-hand man. She was super smart, and once she learned something, she remembered it, even if it was something we studied a while ago. When we were in clinicals, she did what needed to be done without a problem, and she did a good job. She studied and worked hard. She wasn’t a procrastinator. We got through it all together with strength from God. She loved serving older people, and her goal was to be the head over a nursing home," said Mrs. Garmany.
The sisters-in-law enrolled at Snead State in 2008. After completing the core curriculum, they began striving for their Associate in Nursing degree, which they achieved in the Spring of 2011. Mrs. Hallmark was recognized for maintaining the highest GPA in her class as both a first-year and second-year RN student.
But before Mrs. Hallmark could claim the diploma she earned, she – along with her husband, her in-laws, and her nephew – was killed as a result of the April 27, 2011, tornados that hit Marshall County. As her family coped with the tragedy, Mrs. Hallmark’s Snead family also mourned the loss of a woman whose heart was to serve God and others.
"Her heart was on fire for God, and she gave Him the glory in everything she did. She loved her family, and we both knew how very blessed we were to have supportive families we could rely on while we were in school," said Mrs. Garmany.
Mrs. Hallmark’s achievements and legacy did not go uncelebrated. Her memory was honored at Snead State Community College during the RN Pinning Ceremony on May 11 and the Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 12, 2011. Arianna attended both ceremonies to accept the nursing pin and Associate in Nursing degree awarded posthumously to her mother. Her family has also honored her memory by establishing the Jennifer Garmany Hallmark Scholarship Fund. The administration at Snead State Community College pledged to contribute the first $1,000 to the endowment to match the contribution made by the Hallmark and Garmany families.
"We are humbled to be able to honor Jennifer’s memory in this way," said Snead State President Dr. Robert Exley. "Our hearts are broken for her family and friends, but they have served as an inspiration by reminding us through Jennifer’s legacy of the things that are most important in life – faith, family and compassion."
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