The family of Jennifer Grace Jarvis, 45, has set up a GoFundMe to accept donations to cover the costs of her funeral, memorial and legal expenses related to her estate. Jarvis was killed by a train on June 10 in Shelburne.
Contributed photo
SHELBURNE — A local family mourning the unexpected death of a loved one is pleading with the public to listen to their stories and understand the importance of helping others overcome their mental health struggles.
Jennifer Grace Jarvis, 45, died about 5am on June 10 after her train was deliberately hit by a Berkshire and Eastern Railway freight train about half a mile from Bardwell’s Ferry Bridge. Her brother, Matthew Jarvis, is sounding the alarm in the hope that this tragedy will save a life in the future.
“Mental health is not something to be ashamed of,” he said.
Jarvis said her sister, a 1996 graduate of Greenfield High School, had recently begun exhibiting erratic behavior after taking some kind of drug at a local music festival. Jarvis convinced her sister to go to the emergency room to get professional help, and she was admitted to Clinical & Support Options in Greenfield and later released from the hospital.
“Her behavior gradually deteriorated,” Jarvis recalled.
He said his sister went back to her mother’s house in Shelburne and decided to sleep outside. This wasn’t unusual, he said, because Jennifer is “a hippie, a nature lover.” But Jarvis said he couldn’t find her on the morning of June 10 and the search was futile. A friend tried to use an ATV to search for his sister in the woods, but to no avail, he said.
Later that day, Jarvis called Shelburne Control Center to report her sister missing, and was visited a few hours later by local and state police officers and a social worker. He said he was informed that his sister had been hit and killed by a train and that she had been “intentionally killed.” She said her sister had likely left the property in the middle of the night and was later identified by fingerprints.
“Right now I’m in a position I never imagined I would be in,” he said.
Jarvis said he has received help setting up a GoFundMe account. [tinyurl.com/JenniferGraceJarvis] Donations are being accepted to cover legal costs related to her sister’s funeral, memorial and estate. To date, the fundraiser has raised more than $12,000 of its $18,777 goal.
“This support is truly a miracle,” he said Friday, adding that the donations will also go towards his uncle’s care expenses, as Jennifer was his primary caregiver.
Jennifer’s mother, Patricia, said she had been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, with old friends of hers and her daughter’s getting in touch for the first time in decades.
“I’ve definitely been reconnecting with some of my old friends from Jen’s high school and childhood,” she said, “and that’s really helped a lot for me in healing and understanding a little bit more.”
Patricia said one of her daughter’s best friends donated his entire salary, $1,500, and that two nieces came to visit from Nova Scotia, Canada, to support her in the immediate aftermath of her daughter’s death.
“It’s very loving,” she said.
Jarvis, who works for a construction company in Northampton, said her company graciously gave her time off work to mourn and process her sister’s death, and that many of her coworkers have donated to GoFundMe. “Everyone has been so supportive,” Jarvis said.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255, or you can call or text 988 for help.
Domenic Poli can be contacted at dpoli@recorder.com
