Jessica Margaret Nhem

Our sweet, beautiful, Jessica Margaret Nhem, age 38, passed away peacefully on September 4th in her home after a long, hard fought battle with stage IV brain cancer. She was surrounded by those who loved her so very dearly.

Born in Lehighton, Pennsylvania to mother Louise Bott (McClafferty) & father Kevin McClafferty, both of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, & biological father Robert Robles of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She has a brother that she was very proud of, Thomas McClafferty. She was raised in Jim Thorpe, where she was well known to have a smile that could light up a room, & a personality that could brighten anyone’s day.

In 2000, she met the love of her life, Samon “Sam” Nhem, and together they would go on to live a fairytale love story. Her husband often says he’s the luckiest person in the world to have shared so many wonderful years with her. They married in 2008, and have three children, Trinity (19), Johnathan (17), & Tatum (3). As amazing as she was as a wife, she was just as perfect at being a mother. Her children were her absolute pride & joys. She so proudly cheered on her oldest kids in whatever it was that they took part in (sports, music, & theater). She truly enjoyed being a mom more than anything.

In addition to being an incredible mom, loving wife, daughter, & sister, she was a niece, a cousin, & a great friend to so many people whose lives were made better by simply knowing her. Whether that was during her childhood or into her adult years, she was always that friend that you could count on. She had a gift of being able to make people feel important, even if she’d just met them a for a short amount of time. She often reached out to people to check in & see how they were doing, with only one reason behind it- which was that she genuinely cared about that person. She was a friend in every sense of the word.

Regarding what made her happy: aside of spending time with her husband & children, some of her favorite happinesses include all things Disney (classic movies, theme parks, cruises), anything rose gold, the holidays (specifically, Christmas), co-hosting parties with her husband, and again just being a friend to those of us who needed one most. Her impact on our world is immeasurable. She will be dearly missed by so many.

There will be a two-part Celebration of Life, Dec. 5th in her hometown of Jim Thorpe at Penn’s Peak venue. A private dinner (invite-only) from 2pm-4pm, followed by an Ugly Sweater Christmas party from 6pm-9pm (public, w/ details to follow).

There will also be a Celebration of Life held in her adopted hometown of Columbus, Ohio, with plans to come at a later time. In lieu of flowers, please consider gifting to the Jessica Nhem & family scholarship fund, c/o Louise McClafferty. We hope this endowment will help inspire young minds & hearts of graduating seniors at JTAHS for many years to come.

Edwards Funeral Service is honored to serve the family.