'This Is My Obituary. Who Better To Write It Than Myself:' Retired Will County Sheriff Lieutenant Lynn Jencon

BRAIDWOOD, IL ? Retired Will County Sheriff's Lt. Lynnsey Jean "Lynn" Jencon, who was well-known and highly respected by her peers at the sheriff's office, did not leave it up to a funeral home to write her obituary. She did it herself.

Jencon died at 72 years old on Tuesday at home in Braidwood, surrounded by family and friends, following her battle against cancer.

"This is my obituary," reads the announcement from Braidwood's RW Patterson Funeral Home. "Who better to write it than myself ... The love of my life is Gloria Valdez DeLeon, also known as 'Good Daughter,' which my mom nicknamed her. I never told Gloria enough times how smart she was. She put up with me for over 35 years!"

Jencon grew up and went to grade school in New Lenox, attending Lincoln-Way High School, Joliet Junior College, Western Illinois University and Lewis University. She took flying lessons in a Cessna, had a horse named Oswego Lad, rode motorcycles and loved Peanuts cartoon characters, "especially Snoopy. I loved animals more than people," Jencon wrote in her obituary.

At Will County's Sheriff's Office, Jencon reflected, she worked as a sheriff's deputy, sergeant and lieutenant, for 28 years in total. "I have many brothers and sisters in blue. I spent the majority of my career in the investigation division."

After retiring in 2003, Jencon became involved in the Braceville United Methodist Church, notably the children's programs and Vacation Bible School "and everything a small neighborhood church has to offer."

In her one final lasting note, Jencon asked that "God bless my family, friends and animals. May GOD answer your prayers."

'She Had No Problem Taking Command Of Any Situation'

Retired Will County Sheriff's Deputy Denise Bode was one of the first people to share the sad news of Jencon's death on Facebook.

Bode told Joliet Patch's editor that Jencon worked in the patrol division when Bode joined the sheriff's office in 1978.

"The first thing I noticed about her is how young she looked," Bode remarked Thursday. "With her straight blonde hair, bangs and her petite stature, she looked like a high school freshman. She had no problem taking command of any situation she was put into. Being close in age, we enjoyed hanging out after work or at department events, like the Will County Benevolent fund-raising dances each year.

"She was a good investigator for the department, where she spent the majority of her career," Bode noted. "After retirement, she became a member of the Will County Retirees Association and rarely missed meetings, the annual picnic and Christmas party. It made it very difficult Wednesday at the picnic. I kept expecting Lynnsey to walk in. She will be missed by her family in blue and brown."

Jencon Served As Lead Investigator In Little Sarah Avon's Disappearance

About a month ago, I spoke with Jencon over the phone for about an hour in connection with my ongoing true-crime book project surrounding Joliet's 1981 disappearance of little Sarah Avon. The 6-year-old girl vanished from her neighborhood along Oscar Avenue and Old Richards Street.

Jencon told me that she wholeheartedly agreed with the Will County's Sheriff's cold case finding that came out in 2020, announcing that Billy Redden, who had died back in 2010, was most likely responsible for Sarah's abduction and homicide.

"At the conclusion of this process, it was determined based on numerous interviews, information, and intelligence obtained that an original person of interest in this case remains at this time William R. Redden, now deceased," the Will County Sheriff's Office announced in July 2020.

Last month, Jencon told me that as a lead detective, back in the late summer of 1981, she believed she was closing in on Redden and she had developed a good rapport with him, unlike some of her colleagues.

Jencon told me that she felt there was a strong possibility Redden would implicate himself in Sarah's disappearance, but unfortunately, other people at the sheriff's department interjected themselves into the case and that angered Redden, causing him to refuse to take a polygraph test and halt further interviews with Will County police officials.

A memorial visitation for Jencon will take place at the RW Patterson Funeral Home on Thursday, Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. to noon with a memorial service starting at noon. The funeral home is located at 401 E. Main Street in Braidwood.

To read the entire obituary for Lynn Jencon, visit the Patterson Funeral Home website.