Why We Created Jennifer’s Gift
Jennifer’s Gift was born out of love—love for a woman who gave everything to care for others, and love for the countless caregivers walking a path she and our family came to know intimately.
Jennifer Markanich was a lifelong nurturer. A neonatal nurse, a business owner, a stay-at-home mom, an interior designer—every chapter of her life was marked by one thing: care. Whether she was tending to neonatal newborns, creating beauty in someone’s home, or simply showing up with her signature grace and wisdom, Jennifer made people feel held.
But when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer, the roles reversed. For the first time, she had to receive the very kind of care she had always given. And for those of us who loved her, that meant learning to step into her shoes—not just logistically, but emotionally and spiritually. It was a profound transformation. And it was a gift.
Caring for Jennifer in her final years became one of the most sacred experiences of our lives. We learned, day by day, what it means to show up fully for someone, without losing yourself in the process. We stumbled, we cried, we figured it out together. And along the way, my father, after 45 years as her husband, began writing "The Other Patient," a collection of stories offering invaluable insights and solutions from caregivers who find themselves unexpectedly thrust into a challenging role.
A Life of Care, Courage, and Beauty
Jennifer Linda Markanich lived a life devoted to caring for others—with grace, resilience, and extraordinary talent. Born in 1957 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Jennifer was the eldest of five siblings. Even in childhood, she had a natural instinct to nurture—whether tending to her dolls, comforting a friend, or supporting her younger sisters as a guiding presence. This early devotion to care would become a defining thread throughout her life.
After graduating from Mercer School of Medicine with a nursing degree in 1979, Jennifer began her career as a neonatal nurse, helping premature infants take their first breaths. She went on to co-found Pediatric Specialists, an at-home care company supporting high-risk newborns and their families. Her ability to hold both tenderness and strength made her not just a skilled nurse, but a beloved caregiver to many.
Later in life, Jennifer followed a longtime passion for beauty and space by earning a degree in interior design from O’More College of Design. She quickly made a name for herself, eventually launching Timeless Interiors, her own design firm. In 2012, she was named “Best of the Best” by Sub-Zero Wolfe and celebrated as one of the Southeast’s top kitchen designers. Whether she was caring for a baby or redesigning a home, Jennifer brought life, precision, and soul to everything she touched.
She was also a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. Jennifer and her husband Kenny were married for 45 years, raising three children in their Nashville home. Their love—deep, real, and enduring—carried them through the hardest of times, including Jennifer’s cancer diagnosis in 2019.
Given just months to live, Jennifer chose a different path. She pursued alternative treatments in Mexico and Arizona, researched tirelessly, and interviewed every doctor herself. Her courage, curiosity, and fierce will to live gave her nearly five more years—a gift that allowed her to not only continue her healing, but to soften and open in deeply powerful ways.
Those years became a transformational chapter in her life. She did not just fight cancer—she also did profound emotional work, turning inward to process her own pain, reconnect with those she loved, and allow herself to receive care in return. For her family, it was a sacred reversal of roles. The woman who had always held others was now being held. And through that, she gave her family the gift of being with her fully—through laughter, tears, and everything in between.
Jennifer’s story is one of devotion, artistry, strength, and soul. She was precise and passionate, stylish and stubborn, radiant and real. She brought beauty into the world in everything she did—from the way she dressed to the way she made tea. Her legacy lives on in her children, grandchildren, and every life she touched. And through Jennifer’s Gift, her heart for caregiving continues to shine—offering comfort, wisdom, and community to those walking the path she knew so well.
As she once shared, quoting Helena Bonham Carter:
“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams…”
Jennifer lived as if life was art. And the masterpiece she left behind continues to inspire us all.