Jennifer Jean (Fanta) Pavlik

Jennifer Jean (Fanta) Pavlik, 47, of Grand Island, passed away from this life on Monday, July 22, 2024, at UNMC in Omaha, NE after an 8-year battle with cancer.  She was released from the arms of her family into the loving and healing care of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Visitation will be held on Friday, July 26, 2024, from 4:00 p.m.to 7:00 p.m. at Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul.  Additional visitation will be at 1:00 p.m. prior to serviceson Saturday, July 27, 2024, at St. Pauls Lutheran Church, 1515 South Harrison Street, Grand Island, NE.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Grand Island. Interment will be held in the Elmwood Cemetery in St. Paul following the luncheon. Pastor Bill Pavuk will be officiating.

Memorials are suggested to the family to help with funeral expenses.

Jennifer was born on February 20, 1977, in Grand Island, NE the daughter of Jerry and Carol (Findley) Fanta of rural Dannebrog, NE.  She attended St. Paul Public Schools, graduating in 1995. That same year she was united in marriage to Russel Pavlik of Palmer, where the couple lived before moving to St. Paul.  Three children were born to them: SaQuoia, Sierra and Shawn.  They later moved to Grand Island, NE to be closer to their employment.

Jennifer enjoyed many talents given to her. In her younger years she rode horses while competing in 4-H.  She especially liked barrel racing and for several years she played in a softball league. She took dance lessons for most of her school years, performing tap, jazz, and ballet.

Jennifer and her mother especially enjoyed the year they performed a tap dance together with another Mother-Daughter Duo during a dance recital for the Billie Anderson School of Dance. It was a highlight for both of them.

She was employed for 26 years at Gas N Shop, which later changed their name to Git N Split.  She went from cashier to manager in a short period of time, due to her drive to succeed and willingness to always learn new things.  She thrived on the challenges her career offered and often trained employees from other stores and helped them with learning new technology as it became a part of the business.  She loved her career and was very proud of the growth of the store under her leadership.

In more recent years, she made beautiful decorative wreaths and decorative bottles, and sold them. Her other hobbies included decorating for Christmas and taking care of her many houseplants that filled their home inside as well as outside. Jennifer was a spunky, passionate, fun loving, generous person, and her zest for life and faith in God were an inspiration to all who knew her.  Jennifer was passionate about her family and always put their needs above her own.  People marveled at her fighting spirit in the face of cancer.  She was often called a warrior and a fighter, she fought to the very end.

Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, Russel of Grand Island; parents, Jerry and Carol Fanta of St. Paul; daughters, SaQuoia Pavlik (Alec Osborne) of Bellevue, Sierra Pavlik (Jett Lucht) of Grand Island; son, Shawn Pavlik of Grand Island; nine grandchildren; brothers, Korey (Tracy) Fanta of Cairo, Jim (Megan) Fanta of Dannebrog, Ken (Abby) Fanta of Omaha, Jeremy (Jessica) Fanta of Grand Island; along with half-siblings, Lee (Tiisha) Boone, Tim Boone, Laramie Boone, Kristen Boone, and Sue Smith, all of Louisiana; brother-in-law, Mark Pavlik, Sr. of Central City; sister-in-law, Debbie (Wayne) Kock of Cedar Rapids; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Jennifer was preceded in death by her grandparents, Dale and Lora Findley, John and Marie Fanta; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Larry and Margene Pavlik and Russel's grandparents, Charlie and Georgia Pavlik.