January 26, 1975 – February 17, 2026
Jennifer “Jeni” Wilson, 51, of Redfield, passed away on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at her home.
Jeni was born in Montgomery, AL, on January 26, 1975, the daughter of Lonnie Gaumer and Linda (Lease) Gaumer. While in school, she found a love of piano and Spanish. She played golf and belonged to an exclusive team that called themselves 99 Strokes. She graduated from Boone High School in 1993. After graduation, she lived in Barcelona, Spain for a year as a Rotary Foreign Exchange student. When Jeni returned to Iowa, she attended the University of Iowa majoring in International Business and minoring in Spanish.
Jeni enjoyed life and stayed busy sharing her gifts with the world. She owned the “Rock Star” Bar & Grill in Des Moines, where she shared her piano and singing talents. Jeni also performed in small groups at Prairie Meadows. During her travels to Mexico and Florida, she would ask to sing with local bands and was always surprised when they agreed.
Jeni was multitalented, and good at anything she tried. Each job she had showcased a different talent. Jeni worked as a translator in the greater Des Moines area, where she was able to translate for weddings and other in-person events. She worked as a personal chef, where she could use her love of cooking; and at the Des Moines Firestone Tire plant in customer service, where she was in charge of dealers in Central and South America utilizing her Spanish and Portuguese.
She worked for five years at TL Snyder Corp., a consulting firm for Stine Seeds. During her time there, she was given her own project to determine the best way to grow monarda, preserving its natural genetic structure. In her free time, Jeni loved planting and gardening. She was a prolific painter and recently began to make her own paint colors from the seed residue of plants grown for research.
Jeni was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Garland Lease; and paternal grandparents, Orville and Arlene Gaumer.
Jeni is survived by her parents, Linda (Paul) Millis and Lonnie (Cathy) Gaumer, all of Boone; her sons, Weston Dean of Lubbock, TX and Keir Wilson of West Des Moines; her sister, Jessie Gaumer of Boone; her brother, Joe Gaumer of Madison, WI; and maternal grandmother, Hazel Lease of Grinnell.
A Celebration of Life and Resurrection will be held Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 1:00 PM, with a visitation an hour prior, at Boone First United Methodist Church, 703 Arden Street, Boone, with Pastor Adam Gordon officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the First United Methodist Church in Boone, or to the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Street.
schroedermemorialchapel.com