Former JT chief editor Jennifer Hamarneh passes away

AMMAN — Jennifer Hamarneh, a former chief editor of The Jordan Times, passed away on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer.

Hamarneh, who worked at the JT for around 15 years, served as chief editor between 2002 and 2007.

She was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

She will be laid to rest on Thursday in a private ceremony to be held near her mother’s grave in Jordan in the presence of family members and close friends, one family member told The Jordan Times.

After this private funeral service, the family and friends will move to her house — named Villa Jennifer by her husband MP Mustafa Hamarneh — in Jubeil south of Amman for drinks, dinner and opera music in a private gathering to be hosted by her husband in implementation of her will, the family member said. 

Also in accordance with her will, no condolences home will open for her afterwards, he added.

Friends and colleagues paid tribute to Hamarneh, emphasising her professionalism, dedication and persistence.

Former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Marwan Muasher, who was a close friend of Hamarneh and her family, described her as one of a kind.

“She was an excellent editor-in-chief, but was mostly a human being who carried herself with dignity at all times even in the face of what was obviously a difficult terminal disease,” said Muasher, who was a JT columnist.

“She was always composed, always stood by Mustafa, always showed dignified strength and never wavered in her views about life, about Jordan, about her family. She was a source of strength to all around her when the opposite should have been the case,” Muasher added.

“She is not just a loss to Mustafa and her family, but to all Jordan as well, the country she adopted and loved in addition to her own,” he remarked.

“We mourn Jenny’s passing not only as a loss of a dear friend and a true and genuine human being, but also as a colleague who dedicated many years of, sadly, her short life to the profession of journalism in Jordan,” her former chief editor and colleague George Hawatmeh said.

“Jenny worked hard and selflessly — always with professionalism, discipline and a unique sense of belonging — to make The Jordan Times a warm and productive place for those who worked there and a second home for those who read the paper,” added Hawatmeh, who served as chief editor of The Jordan Times, Al Rai and Al Ghad dailies.

“She coached and trained new generations of reporters and editors who will never forget what she gave them. As to the rest of us, Jenny will always be remembered as a wonderful colleague and a loving friend, with a truly independent mind, a big heart and a great sense of humour,” he added.

“Everybody loved working with her,” said Amy Henderson, who worked with Hamarneh as local news editor.

“She made work fun and she was extremely professional,” she added, describing her as “a great mentor”.

“Jenny had a unique form of cancer and she fought it valiantly,” Henderson said, adding that she was open to experimental treatments at a great risk and sacrifice.

“She was very brave and selfless in allowing experiments in her treatment,” Henderson added, noting that Hamarneh saw that as a contribution to science that would help save the lives of others.

“She loved Jordan. It was her home,” she said of Hamarneh, who moved to the Kingdom from the US in the 1980s.

Before joining The Jordan Times, Hamarneh was a media adviser to King Hussein from 1992 to 1993 and part of the Royal Court press team attending Arab-Israeli peace talks, according to the Jordan Media Institute, where she served as board member.

“Intimidating credentials, no doubt, but she would immediately put people at ease with her naturalness, friendliness and humanity,” said JT Managing Editor Ica Wahbeh, who worked with Hamarneh closely during her time in the paper.

“The day she gathered the staff to tell of her retirement as chief editor — ‘to look after my health’ — I thought it was a graceful way to get out of a demanding job. Later I heard that her health indeed needed care and hoped she would sail that rough sea and enjoy retirement.

“It wasn’t to be. Today she is yet another dear colleague — we’ve had a few — to leave for a better place. May she find rest there!”

Managing editor Mahmoud Abed said he had a lot to learn from Hamarneh.

“I will always remember Jenny as a great mentor, as she had a lot to teach me, not only professionally, but also at the personal level.”

“Effective time management, focus and positive thinking are values she instilled in me as my supervisor for over three years, while she shared with me and the rest of the team her life experiences that made her a great editor and leader,” Abed said.

Home News Editor Ranjana Barua echoed Abed’s words: “Jenny taught me the basics of editing news stories — invaluable lessons that I will never forget.”

Hamarneh left her mark on The Jordan Times history, Editor-in-Chief Samir Barhoum said.

“She was very meticulous, spending hours checking tiny details and verifying information while editing news stories, many times staying till after midnight,” he said. “In that she was a role model to be emulated by many journalists.”

“We will remember the good moments, challenging times and shared experiences we had with her along with all those who belonged to this big Jordan Times family,” Barhoum said.

“We will all remember her as a great friend and colleague.”