Jen Eells

Jen Eells was born on September 14, 1982, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She grew up in nearby Berkeley Springs, which is in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. She graduated from Frostburg State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, before beginning her career. Working in wildlife conservation in as many areas as possible throughout the country was Jen’s initial dream. She worked in Wyoming, Missouri, Texas (South Padre Island), Georgia (the Jones Center at Ichauway, Camp Jekyll 4-H Camp) and Florida (including the Everglades). Everywhere she traveled to live and work, she made lifelong friends. Settling down a bit, in 2013, Jen permanently moved to Gainesville, Florida, to work for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) as a small mammal biologist and field ecologist. Jen worked with NEON until the end of 2017, when she returned to college full-time to fulfill her dream of earning her master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology. Attending the University of Florida (UF), she graduated with a Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. While at UF, she also worked as a Research Assistant, and studied the disease ecology of the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow. In January 2020, Jen started to work full-time for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as a small mammal biologist studying endangered beach mice. In June of 2022, she got her dream job as an Assistant Regional Non-Game Biologist for FWC’s north central region. Jen met her boyfriend and future husband Barton Wilder in September 2016, while they were both living in Gainesville. As luck would have it, they only lived about a mile from each other. She converted Barton into a being a cat person, starting with her beloved cat Jay. Despite being introverts and having different interests, they shared jokes, found love, and made a life together. Barton asked Jen to marry him in July 2022. They were married on April 15, 2023, at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Their honeymoon was in Japan, later that September. Jen loved Japan and wanted to return there again. Her favorite portion of the trip was visiting the snow monkeys at the hot springs. Jen loved to travel throughout the US and internationally. Jen and Barton's first long trip together was back to her beloved West Virginia. They were able to visit her historic hometown of Berkeley Springs as well as Harpers Ferry. They also visited Lake Tahoe together, in 2019, for a wildlife conference. For her 40th birthday, Jen, Barton, and two other friends visited Alaska. Most recently, Jen visited Peru: touring Machu Picchu, hiking to the top of Wayna Picchu, and visiting Manu National Park. She found travel inspiring and was planning more trips with friends at the time of her death. Jen was a determined and passionate person, with an amazing group of friends who loved her and supported her. She loved animals and wildlife conservation but had a special place in her heart for small mammals (smammals). She was a feminist and an avid supporter of women’s rights. Jen also enjoyed reading, had a mischievous and racy sense of humor, and was fond of double entendre. At only 41, she is survived by her husband, Barton Wilder; mother, Ann DeLawder; stepfather, Norm DeLawder, and two loving and playful cats, River and Kashi. She was predeceased by her brother Shawn Whittington. Jen was a devoted friend to many, and they will miss her greatly. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations in her memory to either Faithful Friends Pet Rescue Rehoming, Peaceful Paths, or the Lubee Bat Conservancy. FOR MORE INFORMATION WILLIAMS-THOMAS WESTAREA 352-376-7556

Jen Eells

July 22, 2024