Jennifer Rebecca Sims, aged 49, of Belle Plaine, MN, passed away on February 24, 2024, at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with metastatic cancer.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Jen’s honor on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 11:00 AM, with a Time of Gathering from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, all at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, 833 Marschall Rd, Shakopee, MN.
Jennifer Rebecca (Burtyk) Sims was born in Arlington, MN, on July 31, 1974. She was the daughter of Frederick (Fritz) and Anne (Pixie) Stark-Burtyk. She graduated in 1992 from Sibley East High School in Arlington. Jen spent most of her growing up with all her friends, cousins, going on numerous vacations together, and spending many days at the cabin in Hackensack.
After graduation, Jen spent her career managing numerous clothing stores and finally working her way up to senior buyer at SpartanNash. Many happy days were spent with her close connection with her coworkers.
On September 13, 2003, Jen married Shane Menefee. They were blessed with two children, Sophia Kate and Benjamin Franklin, whom they both loved and cherished. They built a house in Jordan where they resided for many years. In 2017, Jen moved to Belle Plaine, where they lived until her diagnosis of cancer in 2022. When Jen needed assistance with all her cares, she stayed with her mother in Shakopee. This is where we all lived, loved, laughed, and fought until her death. Her passing has brought an emptiness in all our lives, but she is free from all her pain.
Jen is survived by her children Sophie and Benjamin Menefee; father Fritz Burtyk; mother Pixie Burtyk; siblings Tom and Nicole Burtyk, Nick Burtyk, and Dan and Brook Burtyk, and many other loving relatives and friends.
