Holy Cross community mourns sudden death
By ERIN PIROTEK
Associate News Editor
While snow swirled outside Holy Cross Chapel, Jenny Nemeth's friends and family remembered how she loved spring.
Her friend Katie Egan, a sophomore at Notre Dame, said Jenny eagerly looked forward to weather warm enough so that she could wear sundresses.
Jenny died last Friday. The funeral Mass is today at 3:30 p.m. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Notre Dame campus.
"She hated gloomy days," said her brother Josh Nemeth, a South Bend resident.
According to her family, though, being in the same room as Jenny could brighten any day.
"When you looked at Jenny, it was like sunshine," said Paula Nemeth, her mother.
Jenny's priorities were simple.
"Family was first to Jenny and her friends were very important to her," said Josh.
Jenny's goal was to unite her family, according to her twin sister Stephanie Nemeth. Jenny was a peacemaker who would try to find the solution for any problem.
"We have the same heart, but hers was so much bigger than mine," said Josh.
Jenny's sudden death shocked her friends and family.
"We just keep asking why and we know we're never going to get the answer," said Josh.
Egan said she happened to see Jenny both on Monday and Tuesday nights, although she was busy preparing for midterms.
"We got to talk. I feel very fortunate to be able to have spent that time with her," said Egan.
As twins, Jenny and Stephanie were very close.
"I've never gone a day without her being around," said Stephanie, a junior at Notre Dame.
They shared a room until high school. When they were young, they'd often spend a whole day drawing out elaborate plans, then rearranging their room. The best thing about her birthday, according to Stephanie, was sharing it with Jenny.
"In high school, I was never known as Stephanie, but as one of the Nemeth twins," said Stephanie.
Jenny had a great talent for listening.
"For most of her life, I talked and she listened," said Stephanie.
Although they disagreed at times, their bond was much stronger than any differences.
"She always accepted me for who I was," said Stephanie.
Jenny also had a special relationship with her two nieces.
She loved to play Legos and Super Mario Kart with Josh's 4-year-old daughter Morgan.
"Jenny would run up her charge cards ... just so she could buy Morgan everything," he said.
Stephanie had planned to have Jenny be the godmother for her infant daughter Madison. According to Stephanie, Jenny was the only one who could consistently make Madison smile.
Jenny's own grin was well-loved by her family.
"To me, she just had the cutest smile," said Josh. "When she walked into a room it just lit up."
Jenny smiled often when thinking about a planned spring break trip to Disney World.
"She wanted to see it again through Morgan's eyes," said Paula.
Even though she was looking forward to the trip, however, she'd offered to let Stephanie take her place. "Everyone else always came first," said Stephanie.
If a friend was sick, or a sibling needed a babysitter, Jenny's studies became secondary.
"She sacrificed her time, or just herself for others," said Josh.
Egan said she would cherish the time that she spent with Jenny.
Like many friends, Katie and Jenny liked to go shopping, but they especially loved thinking about one particular item.
"We were both obsessed with cars," said Egan. A favorite pastime was to visiting an auto dealerships to dream about future purchases. Jenny looked forward to getting a Toyota 4-Runner for graduation.
Jenny hoped to pursue a career in education or social work.
"She wanted to work with children," said Josh.
Jenny, 20, had already achieved much.
"I was proud of who she was, that she had her own set of standards, that she had common sense," said Paula.
According to Stephanie, Jenny never took life for granted with emphasis on family and friends rather than life's small details.
"She's just the epitome of what is good and what God means by placing an angel on earth," said Stephanie.
All News Stories for Tuesday, March 6, 2001
