Jennifer Kristen KuretNadeau

May 24, 1959 - November 6, 2021

Jennifer Kristen KuretNadeau died at home on November 6th, 2021 after a two-year battle with cancer. Preceded in death by father Marvin Kuret, mother Jean Anderson, and older brother Don Kuret. Jen is survived by her husband Douglass Nadeau, her step-mother Louise Auerbach and husband Lyle, brother James Treadwell and his wife Erin, father and mother-in-law Doug and Claire Nadeau, sister-inlaw Jennifer Nadeau and wife Susie, and nieces and nephews Eric and Catherine Treadwell, and Remi and Claire Nadeau.

Jen was born in San Francisco, moved to Santa Rosa, and finally settled in Marin. Jen and Doug met while working at the same movie theatre. Jen worked in movie theatres for a while, progressing from cashier to manager and then eventually working for Orion Pictures and Renaissance Rialto Theatres.

One day, while on a mountain bike ride, Jen broke her leg. She was so inspired by the emergency response that she decided to change careers. She started working as a volunteer firefighter at Larkspur and Kentfield Fire Departments. She also went back to school and received an Administration of Justice degree at College of Marin and a Fire Technology degree at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Jen started her first paying firefighting job with Cordelia Fire Department in 1995. From there she moved on to Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard, which in some ways was the highlight of her career. They were able to run with the city engines and provide mutual aid to commercial and residential fires off base. Jen was eventually hired as a union firefighter by the City of Vallejo. At the time she was one of only a handful of women to work for the department. She retired from the department in 2003.

After retiring, Jen worked as a fire investigator for various entities before founding Pacific Fire & Forensics Investigations, her own company. Pacific Fire was active from 2007 until her death, investigating fires in California, Nevada, and Hawaii.

Besides movies and firefighting, Jen’s main passion was everything Hawaii. She paddled outrigger canoes in California for He’e Nalu and Pu’u Pu’ O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe clubs. She also belonged to Halau Hula Na Pua O Ka La’akea hula school. Vacations in Hawaii were where Jen and Doug made many good friends by just showing up for club practices, on the beach, with paddles in hand. This led Jen to volunteer for working on the Hokule’a and Hikianalia sailing canoes. Jen was also pursuing Bachelor of Science Degrees: Double Major Undergraduate Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu at the time of her death. Aloha Jen.

A Paddle-Out is being planned for the future.

In lieu of flowers please donate to Northern California Outrigger Canoe Association ncoca.com or United States Wolf Refuge uswolfrefuge.org.