Jill Carol (Burman) DeHaven was born on July 2, 1967, in Denver, Colorado. She was the firstborn of Don and Karma (Baarda) Burman. Jill became a proud older sister when Karen joined the family in 1970.

Jill loved the mountains, the Denver Broncos, and music. Her Midwest cousins often used the Burman house as a base camp for their ski trips and summer camping adventures. This allowed Jill to be close to many of them – especially Juleen, Brenda, and Jana Langstraat. Jill also enjoyed watching her cousins Michael and Curt Sherman grow up nearby.

Jill surrendered her life to Jesus Christ as her savior when she was five years old. She had a passion for Scripture memory and study, excelling on her youth group Bible quiz team.

After graduating from Bear Creek High School in 1985, she ventured west to Biola University. She started as an accounting major and, after changing twice, settled on a Liberal Studies degree, which she hoped would let her pursue a career in teaching.

During her freshman year, she met Paul DeHaven, an energetic ministry major from Southern California. The two hit it off and enjoyed driving around Los Angeles, going to the movies or the beach, and having long walks and talks on campus. They married in Pasadena, California, on June 10, 1989.

The DeHavens immediately moved to Denver for Paul to attend seminary, and to take advantage of the inexpensive housing provided by Jill's parents.

Before long, Paul and Jill were blessed with two amazing daughters: Johanna and Kari. Jill instilled her love of reading in her girls at an early age.

Their family moved to Texas in 1995 and lived in the suburbs of Dallas for the next 18 years before moving to Sycamore, Illinois, in 2013. Jill often said that moving to Illinois was one of the best decisions she ever made.

Throughout her career, Jill worked in a variety of jobs to earn money for the family and set aside college funds for the girls. Jill was a wedding coordinator, had two home-based businesses, worked in healthcare as a volunteer coordinator, and served as a missions ministry admin at a local church. After moving to Illinois, she worked at Judson University and Northern Illinois University in student services. She retired from her most recent job as the accounts payable specialist at Christ Community Church in May.

During her five-year battle with lung cancer, Jill became a strong advocate for education and research. She attended classes, conferences, and even went to Capitol Hill for the last two years to advocate for increased funding.

Jill loved to travel with her family, read, and watch the Cubs. She adored her dog Wrigley and her grandpuppy Lexi.

She is survived by her father, mother, and sister, as well as her husband and daughters.

Family and friends will gather to celebrate Jill's life on Saturday, July 25 at 11:00 am. The service will be at Christ Community Church in DeKalb Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the LUNGevity Foundation.

https://fundraise.lungevity.org/campaigns/In-Memory-of-Jill-DeHaven

To sign the online guest book or share a memory- go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com