Jennifer Alveria (Budslick) Applegate

Jennifer Alveria (Budslick) Applegate, 58, departed this life on October 12, 2024, at her home in Anna, Illinois. She was born on September 26, 1966, to Dale (Strusz) Budslick and William D. Budslick in Carbondale. A fighter from the beginning, Jennifer weighed just 2 lbs. 6 oz. at birth and was not expected to survive. Jennifer defied the odds throughout her life - raising children as a single mother, working countless hours as a social worker serving families in Southern Illinois, and serving the lord as a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cobden. She returned to school to study nursing alongside her daughter, Katie, while working full-time and taking care of her family. She served the community as a registered nurse for the last decade, with great passion and dedication to providing quality healthcare to everyone she encountered. In 2019 and again in 2022, Jennifer received the Daisy Award for extraordinary nurses from the Daisy Foundation while working at SIH St. Joseph Memorial Hospital. She was nominated by patients in both instances after providing them with outstanding care during their stays. Jennifer was a dedicated and selfless mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. She sacrificed to make the lives of those she loves better. Jennifer is survived by her children, Katie Crippen (Micah), of Anna; Jacob Applegate, of Knoxville, TN; Lacey Applegate (Andy Walling) of Cobden; and Shawn Applegate of Waukegan; mother, Fern Dale Budslick, of Carbondale; father, William D. Budslick of Centertown, MO; brother, William J. Budslick, of Carbondale; grandchildren, Kylie Crippen, Avery Crippen, Isabella Walling, and Olivia Walling, and niece, Sara Hartzog (Eric) of Jonesboro. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, William and Alveria Budslick and Fern and Charles Strusz. Funeral Mass for Jennifer Applegate will be held at 1:00 pm Friday, October 18, 2024, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Carbondale, IL, with Father Nick Fleming as celebrant. Visitation will take place Friday, October 18, 2024, from 11:00 am until the service time at 1:00 pm at the church. Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements. An educational endowment will be established in Jennifer's name at Culver Academy, in Culver, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, monetary donations can be made to the "Culver Educational Foundation in Memory of Jennifer Budslick." Envelopes will be available at the church and at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home.