Friday, March 6, 2026 | 11 AM
Jennifer Bernadette Cragg, a beloved daughter, artist, actress, and certified nurse midwife, died last week. She was a woman of striking inner and outer beauty-deeply intelligent, profoundly sensitive, and capable of extraordinary love. Those who knew her best remember her as thoughtful and deeply attuned to the emotional lives of others. She moved through the world with both strength and fragility, experiencing life with an uncommon depth that shaped everything she did.
Jennifer earned a bachelor's degree in theatre and spent several years in New York City and Los Angeles pursuing an acting career. The arts were foundational to who she was, teaching her presence, empathy, and the power of listening. Her path eventually led her to medicine, where she united art and science in service to others. She earned her graduate nursing degree and became a certified nurse midwife, a role that reflected her passion for compassionate and evidence-based care. Her care was delivered with calm presence, skill, and deep respect for her patients.
Alongside her many talents and accomplishments, Jennifer lived with the complex illnesses of severe depression and alcoholism-conditions she faced with remarkable courage over many years. She fought relentlessly for her life, engaging fully in medical, psychiatric, and addiction treatment, never stopping her effort to heal. She is survived by her parents, Julie (Bilski) and Andrew; her stepmother, Kristen; her siblings, Daniel (Jenna), Caitlin (Jonathan Urbach), and Annie (Tony Sterle); her grandmother, Mary Jean Bilski; her stepsister, Molly and eight beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Julian Bilski, and Catherine and Harold Cragg. Those who loved her most will remember her not for how she died, but for how bravely she lived-and for the deep, abiding love she gave to all of them.
Visitation starts at 10 AM followed by a Mass of Catholic Burial. The burial will be a private family ceremony in the spring. For memorials to Jennifer, the family suggests donations to NAMi
