Jennifer Leigh Walker

Jennifer Leigh Walker, of Hopewell, Virginia, passed away on Sunday, November 17, 2024.

Born October 23, 1978, she was the daughter of Vincent Smith and Peggy Sue Holt. Jennifer attended Brightpoint Community College, and graduated magna cum laude with an Associate Degree in Information Systems. A lifelong learner, she also graduated summa cum laude from Brightpoint, with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Development. Jennifer continued to further her education through coursework at Harvard.

As the Director of James Childhood Development Center for 15 years, Jennifer had a passion for teaching and touched the lives of many children. After leaving the Center, she owned and operated her own at-home daycare. Jennifer was a hardworking and meticulous business owner, and she passed her joy for teaching on to her daughter, Cayce, whom she loved working alongside at the Center. Jennifer also loved to travel and enjoyed visiting the tropical locations of Jamaica, Mexico, Antigua, and Barbuda.

Left to cherish Jennifer's memory are her daughter, Cayce Walker; her parents, Vincent Smith and Peggy Sue Holt; her brother, Thomas Wayne Sutton; her sisters, Stephanie Smith and Jean Smith; her uncle, Donald Holt; and her longtime partner, Roger Forren. Jennifer will also be remembered fondly by her many friends and colleagues in child development programs across the area.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, from 6:00pm until 8:00pm, at the Hopewell Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. A funeral service for Jennifer will be held the next day, Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 2:00pm, at the Hopewell Chapel, with interment immediately following at Merchants Hope Memorial Gardens.