For 30 years, Jennifer Milton worked in the field of organ and tissue transplantation. From calling hospitals and families, to fulfilling final wishes, to ensuring all went well, Jennifer is one of the field’s greatest minds, ensuring successful organ transplantation for patients around the country.
Little did she think she’d be on the other end of it.
When Jennifer’s husband Jay unexpectedly passed away a week before Christmas, it left Jennifer and an entire community gutted. He was 57.

An endearing character, Jay was so beloved in Boerne that he was dubbed the unofficial mayor. But everyone knew that behind a sharp wit and “stank eye” was a compassionate soul with a heart for healing and bringing people together.
Jay was the brainchild of the Boerne 0.5K, which was billed as the “world’s shortest race.” It featured a donut-and-hydration station halfway through, and it attracted the attention of underachievers across the nation. Annually, it raised thousands of dollars for a charity for feeding underprivileged children in Boerne.

A reformed hockey hotshot, Jay’s mission was to heal others, to the point of starting a business supporting transplant centers and the work of his wife.
Jay was a firecracker, but was well known for his devotion to his wife and three kids. He was Jennifer’s biggest cheerleader, so signing up as a tissue donor was a no-brainer.
“It was unequivocal in his mind that you helped others. He lived his life every day to help others, and tissue donation was just an extension of that,” Jennifer said.
Jay believed that tissue donation is a fundamental human responsibility. He spoke often of donation and its noble cause.
When Jay passed, Jennifer was chair of Donate Life America. Despite all the work she had done, she didn’t realize how meaningful the conversation for tissue donation authorization would be.
“I’ve spoken to donor families so much over the years, but here I was. It was surreal and I was treated with so much empathy and compassion,” she said. “They carried Jay’s wishes out to the fullest…his wishes were so clear to everyone who knew him.”
His passing came at a difficult time: a week before Christmas, when many elective cornea surgeries are not happening. But the community came together. The entire team worked closely together, rallying, and advocating that Jay’s wishes would be fulfilled. So many individuals in the organ and transplant industry made it a possibility – just as they would with any other donor and their family.
A glowing obituary dedicated to Jay lovingly jokes that friends should “seek comfort knowing the Milton Stinkeye will live on…”
Jay’s donation has helped several individuals and allowed them to get back to their daily lives and roles in the community. He continues to impact far beyond those who received his cornea and tissue donations but to their communities. That is Jay’s legacy…he lives on through the community he loved and served.
Jennifer and her family have found solace by committing to a life of joy in Jay’s honor. Just as he lived.
“I tell people no matter the cause, he died of happiness,” Jennifer said.
Up until his final moment on earth, he accomplished his mission to heal everyone he met.
Jennifer is advocating for tissue donation through her platform, and thanks the community for helping Jay’s final wish come true.
“We’re so blessed in San Antonio that our organ tissue and corneal partners collaborate at such a best practice level to bring that peace and healing to families like mine. I have shared throughout the nation that our collaboration is the model to emulate.”