Help Fulfill Jack's Final Wish for Robin

Hello friends and community members. My name is Skye Hennessy and I am reaching out on behalf of our family after experiencing the sudden loss of our dearly beloved Jack Hennessy. We are raising funds to go towards covering the end of life costs and outstanding medical expenses, and to provide support to Jack’s wife, Robin, by easing the financial hardships that have come with this loss.

After an incredible 11-year battle with cancer, Jack passed on to his next adventure on June 13th, 2024. He was surrounded by family and passed peacefully and with grace. Despite being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2013, he handled everything with pure optimism and determination. For the majority of this time, he was always in such high spirits that you couldn’t even tell he was sick. The way he carried himself and fought his cancer head-on for so long was truly inspiring to everyone around him.

For the last few years of his life he decided to participate in a variety of clinical trials for cancer research at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, motivated not only by the goal of managing and diminishing his cancer, but also by his desire to help contribute to the research and development of a cure for others who are also battling cancer. He has always been such a caring and compassionate person, and truly displayed this until the very end.

Jack is survived by Robin, his wife of 52 years, as well as his daughter Shannon and son Sean, and his granddaughters Skye and Nevaya. We all love Jack very deeply and have had an incredible bond with him, and we are so blessed to have shared so many wonderful memories with him as a family.

Jack was such a magnetic person, beloved by everyone he meets whether they’ve known him for 50 years or 5 minutes. His constant outpouring of joy, love, and adventurous spirit has always brought so much happiness to family, friends, clients, and colleagues. He was truly one of a kind and we are all so lucky to have had him in our lives.

He spent much of his life as an entrepreneur before becoming a business consultant where he, along with his treasured colleagues, dedicated every day to bettering the lives and businesses of his clients, which brought him so much joy and fulfillment. Everyone who knows Jack always has wonderful (and often hilarious) stories about him. He lived such an incredible - and often unbelievable - jam packed life full of adventure.

Despite the optimism that comes with 11 years of successfully battling cancer, his health quickly turned approximately two months before his passing. The cancer had spread spread throughout his spine and body, physically incapacitating him and severely intensifying his pain. On June 4th, he was admitted to the OHSU emergency department. By June 10th he was released to spend his last few days under at-home hospice care. Then on June 13th, we said our final goodbyes and he was surrounded with love from his family as he passed.

Because his decline was very sudden and unexpected, planned steps for financial preparation fell short. Jack’s employment was his and Robin's main source of income, and he was so determined to ensure they were taken care of that he continued to work until just two months before his passing, despite his declining health. Unfortunately Jack did not have savings or life insurance, and left behind significant debts. Robin is now left only with income from social security, and despite her upcoming transition out of their home and into a more affordable apartment on July 1st, rent will still take up the majority of the social security income which leaves her in a very uncomfortable position in regards to other bills and basic living expenses.

When we learned that the end of his life was fast approaching, Jack gave me one of his last requests: helping to ensure Robin would be taken care of financially after his passing. It was one of Jack’s most important final wishes for us to help support Robin financially and ensure stability for her, giving her the space to process the loss of her husband instead of dealing with the constant stress of her financial pressures. We are raising money to support Robin in honor of Jack’s final wishes, and to help her through this difficult time emotionally and financially.

We are asking for help with

All funds will go directly to Robin and this will provide significant relief for her in this difficult time and help her be as comfortable as possible by affording her the financial stability to focus on her well-being during the grieving process.

We hope that some of the many hearts he has touched over his lifetime are able to help fulfill one of his final requests by financially supporting the wife he loved so much. The emotional support from the vast community of friends, colleagues, and clients he so deeply cared for is invaluable, and every donation received means the world to us as we support Robin through this tragic time.

Thank you all so much for your kindness and support, and thank you for loving him. He loved you too.