Jennifer Hope Revay was born in Berkeley, California, to parents Martin Revay and Joan “Boots” Martin (Gleason) on Feb. 12, 1964. She gradually drifted away and started her journey home in the early evening hours of July 2, 2025. She was surrounded by her family and friends who held her hands and sang songs while she took her last breaths.
Jen is survived by Joan “Boots” Martin, her mother of Oakville, Washington; Natasha Goddard, her daughter of Portland, Oregon; Nicholas Purcell, her son of Oakville, Washington; Joseph Revay Sr., her eldest brother of Oakville, Washington; Richard Revay Sr., her brother of Oakville, Washington; Virginia “Dolly” Canales, her auntie of Oakville, Washington; Daniel “Bones” Gleason, her uncle of Oakville, Washington; William “Bill” Heck, her uncle of Las Vegas; her aunties Sharon and Nola Gleason of Nisqually, Washington; Eldon Gleason, her uncle of Nisqually; and many nieces and nephews.
Jen spent her lifetime in Oakville, Washington, and surrounding areas. She attended her primary and secondary education in Oakville and Rochester, where she had many friends, was a cheerleader, and began to develop into the tenacious woman she would soon become.
Jen went on to cosmetology school, where she found a deep love for all things “hair”! She graduated and spent many years doing hair, including her family’s. Jen also spent time working in the cage at her tribe’s casino, the Lucky Eagle.
In her later years, she would be fondly known for her wild, untamed hair and a Carhartt jacket, both of which she would never deny a place in her daily life. Her mom would buy her a new Carhartt for Christmas and her birthdays, and the next time you’d see her, there she was with that old raggedy one. It was tattered and worn… but it was loved and cherished. Her Carhartt will remain with her as she journeys on, just as she wished.
Jen will be remembered for many things, but few will forget the Revay women’s laugh that she and her sister Stella are known for… they have passed that laugh on to their children and a few “lucky” nieces. The Oakville Shaker Church will not soon forget all the times that Jen would donate firewood to not only them but others in need. She made sure to give back to her people and her community. Her cats, Stormy and Puffy, were likened to her children, and she would bottle-feed them from birth. When Stormy passed away, she told her mom that they needed to say a prayer, so her mom and she would have a service and prayer for her cat’s transition to a better place.
Jen’s legacy will forever be her love of her mom, children, close friends, and her cats. She came to live life to its absolute fullest, and she makes no apologies for how she chose to do just that. She had a heart as big as her beautiful brown eyes and a spirit as wild as her hair. Her fierce eyes lit up a room, and she always had something to say… and she said it. Jen endured all of life’s difficulties and pain, and she did it with a smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eye…
On July 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the Oakville Indian Reservation Shaker Church, Jen will complete her journey home, as These Boots Were Made for Walkin’… and that’s just what she’s gonna do, right into the heavens.
The church service was followed by a graveside service at the Chehalis Indian Reservation Cemetery, which was concluded with a dinner at the Chehalis Indian Reservation Community Center. Jen will be reunited with those who preceded her in death: Martin Revay Sr., her father, and Stella Revay, her sister. May she dance in the heaven’s Purple Rain, eternally at peace.
