Longtime Healdsburg resident, artist, nonprofit founder and spirit leader Jennifer Utsch, better known as Jendala, died of cancer in the wee hours Wednesday morning, according to loved ones who posted on her Facebook page. They had chronicled her decline on the page over the previous weeks — in physical health, but not in spirit. As the director of Healdsburg’s Community Services department, Mark Themig, wrote during a visit to her hospital room on Feb. 1: “The amazing Jendala continues to … well … amaze!” (My colleague at the Healdsburg Tribune, Christian Kallen, also penned a beautiful tribute to her in his newsletter on Thursday, which you can read here.)
The signature metal chimes that Jendala made here in town for years and carried around on her colorful cart, with affirmations like “Faith” and “Joy” and “Peace” carved into them, can be spotted in yards and homes across Healdsburg — a legacy of hope and positivity that will continue to guide the community from here on out, in her absence. Jendala also leaves behind her beloved nonprofit, Heartizens, headquartered at her former art studio on Moore Lane near Healdsburg City Hall. She saw it as a place where kids and other community members could come to connect, heal and express through the arts.
When I last talked a Jendala few months ago, right before she moved to Tucson part-time to be closer to family, she wanted me to know that Heartizens would live on without her. It’s now run by a group of locals who continue to host programs and events in the magical space Jen created. Get involved or donate here. You can also attend a candlelight vigil for Jen in the plaza this Sunday night, from 6:30-7:30pm, according to Healdsburg resident Vicky Nobles. She writes on Facebook: “Bring a candle, bring a chime, bring your joy and let’s celebrate the bright light that Jenn brought to our town, our children and our community.”
