Jennifer Anne Travers Leh
Jennifer Travers was born in North Carolina on April 20th 1951. Her parents, William J. Travers Jr. and Barbara Cleary Travers were Bostonians living at Camp Lejeune during his Marine Corps Service. The family returned to Boston and Jennifer was educated by the Ursuline Sisters at Mount Alverna Academy in Newton. She later attended Boston State College. She left school to make her first cross-country trip on the back of her friend’s motorcycle, making many stops and working as a waitress along the way. She liked to reminisce about her time spent in the Grand Canyon, where she worked as a server at the lodge and befriended a diverse group of adventurers like herself who experimented with the alternate lifestyles and spiritual quests rampant at that time. She later said this journey helped her understand her life and imbued her with the determination to mine its diverse and multi-layered strata.
She settled on Orcas Island in the mid 1970’s and took work as a waitress at Rosario Resort, it was on Orcas that she found the community that would be a touchstone for life. She played a key role in the opening of Orcas’ most famous restaurant, Christina’s and worked there off and on for many years. She became an expert in the area of food and wine, eventually working as a wine consultant. She was a traveler and had a special connection with Latin culture, spending extended periods of time in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and finally Panama.
She traveled with her pets, most recently returning from Central America with her four Pomeranians and a cat. On San Juan Island she was the creator of the 4-H dog program for kids. She also enjoyed the poetry workshops she headed at the school in Friday Harbor. She was a voracious reader and had a love for the fine arts and supported the crafts as well, with a love for pottery, handmade jewelry, and textiles. In the early eighties Jennifer was the vocalist for “Three Day Weekend”, the band she formed with friends to play the jazzy, bluesy, swing she loved.
In 1999 she married Ted Lehn, a designer, in Friday Harbor, Washington. With her husband she created an elaborate garden at their home, finding that the world of plant cultivation provided wonderful experiences in delayed gratification, surprise, wonder, disappointment and astonishment. In 2008 she moved with her husband to Panama when he became involved in a design Project. She continued her work with animals, caring for injured and orphaned animals at the facility in Boquete. Her favorites included a two toed sloth and a jaguar she raised from infancy and was able to return to the wild.
Jennifer died on February 4th at Virginia Mason in Seattle, Washington, where she received the finest and most considerate care from her team headed by Dr. Anthony Grabino. Jennifer was preceded in death by her husband Ted in Boquete, Panama on January 3rd of this year. Two of her brothers, Michael and Kevin also predeceased her. She is survived by her brothers Bill of Johnston, RI and Warren or Worcester MA. and sisters Celeste Travers Mishenko of Worcester MA, and Christine Travers Hingman, MA. She is also survived by her step children, Tess, Zecca, and Javas Lehn. Jennifer leaves behind her cat Uma, and her four dogs, Tulip, Tin Tin, Gracie and Griffin. Memorials may be made to the Animal Protection Society, Eastsound, WA 98245, or Wolf Hollow Animal Rehabilitation on San Juan Island. A celebratory memorial will be held for Jennifer at the Westsound Community Hall on Orcas Island in Washington State on Saturday February 20, 2010 at 12:30 P.M.
Submitted by Jennifer’s family
