Jennie Kammerer

Jennie Stefin was born on May 26, 1935, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She graduated from high school at age 16 and went on to a three-year RN Diploma Program Nursing School at Hamilton General Hospital. Shortly after graduation, a few of the nurses decided to move to San Francisco, California and find jobs there. Jennie decided to join them. She worked for an ophthalmologist, had her own apartment and loved going for bike rides.

She met her future husband, Leroy at the wedding of their cousins, (Norman and June).  Jennie served as a bridesmaid and Leroy was one of the groomsmen. When the time came, Jennie and Leroy secretly planned their own wedding.  There was a family reunion coming up and they decided to surprise everyone at the reunion. Leroy’s “Uncle Bob” - Robert Carrington, (who was the Senior Pastor at Bethel Temple Church in Turlock, California), got everyone’s attention and announced, “Hey Everyone, let’s head over to the church.  We’re going to have a wedding!” No one had “Church clothes” with them, so several family members went over to the WalMart and got bow ties for all the men and flower bouquets for the bridesmaids. Jennie had a lovely dress and Leroy’s mom, Ethel, (also known as “Auntie May”) baked their wedding cake. Jennie and Leroy were married on May 2, 1964.

Jennie worked as a nurse at Methodist Hospital for about 10 years.  She worked the evening shift, to make sure someone was always home with their two children. She later switched over to the day shift and worked about 20 years at “Sutter General Hospital” in downtown Sacramento. She retired there at age 65. After retirement, she volunteered for a time at “The Casa Garden Restaurant,” which is a charity that since the 1970s, has been run by volunteers at the Los Niños Service League, which is part of the Sacramento Children's Home organization, to offer financial and moral support to children, families, and at-risk youth. 

Jennie loved to bake and was a very good cook. Cherries were her favorite fruit and she was famous for her Christmas Cherry Nut Loaf Cake.  She and Leroy would make several batches a year. The last year Leroy was alive, they did 40 cakes, delivering to neighbors and mailing to friends and family all over the country and Canada.  Her favorite beverage was Vernor’s Ginger Ale and she had at least one, everyday.
Jennie loved going to garage sales. She would start plotting her course on Thursdays, when the Sacramento Bee starting advertising the sales happening that Saturday. She would get out a map, (because there was no navigation then), figure out which sale to go to first and make sure she had plenty of $1 and $5 dollar bills for the day, to bargain with.

If you knew Jennie, she most certainly asked you the question, “What do you collect?” She loved finding bargains for herself, but also loved finding things for other people, too. She subscribed to the Kovels Newsletter for collectors and knew what items were valued collectibles.
Jennie’s husband, Leroy, had many health issues and after she retired from the hospital, she continued to care for him. She was commonly referred to her, as “Nurse Jennie” around the home. 
She loved dogs and cats and had numerous pets over the years.  Because they lived next to a parkway, she and Leroy got to know all the neighbors and their pets, as well.

She remained fairly independent, even after Leroy’s passing in December of 2017. About a year into the quarantine, she announced that she was giving up two things…one was driving, (which was a decision that was supported), and the second thing was cooking, (a decision no one was happy about).
Jennie had many health issues in the last few years, which restricted her from doing much.  She greatly enjoyed all her phone conversations with family and friends.
She is survived by two children, Susan and Lance, her daughter-in-law, Katie and one grandchild, Cole.

In lieu of flowers, you may make donations to:
ACC Rides
7334 Park City Drive,
Sacramento, CA 95831
Check memo – “Memory of Jennie Kammerer”

ACC Rides Transportation Services (ACC Rides) provides door-to-door transportation service to Meals on Wheels Café Sites, ACC Senior Services (ACC), other senior centers, Triple R, medical and dental appointments, grocery shopping, field trips, and other errands. For many older adults, ACC Rides is a lifeline that provides a measure of independence to people who cannot drive, due to mobility, physical or cognitive disabilities, are unable to utilize public transit or lack other means of transport. Caregivers can also depend on ACC Rides to transport their loved ones to classes or other programs at ACC.