Roth, editor on WSJ real-time desk, dies from cancer

Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker sent out the following announcement to the staff:

I’m very sorry to relate that Jenny (Park) Roth, our friend and colleague on the WSJ Real-Time Desk, died Monday morning at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after battling breast cancer. She left us peacefully, surrounded by family and friends. Jenny, who was 43 years old, lived in Oradell, N.J., with her family: husband, Erik, 12-year-old daughter Naomi and 9-year-old son Harrison. She was a devoted dance mom to Naomi and loved watching Harry play sports.

Jenny’s cheerful personality and pleasant smile made her a warm presence at Dow Jones for so many colleagues. She was a wonderful friend, always remembering birthdays and the first to call when someone was in need.

Jenny, a smart editor and generous mentor, was diagnosed with breast cancer in the autumn of 2012. Her cancer returned a couple of years later, and she had been fighting it ever since, enduring many treatments. Jenny, who had been on leave since May, loved to cook. On her last day in the office, she brought in a homemade, beautifully decorated birthday cake for a friend. The desk will miss the brownies and pies she would frequently share. She enjoyed traveling to Florida with her family every year and was a world traveler, having been to Mexico, Australia and Iceland, where she was excited to see the Northern Lights.

Jenny had been with Dow Jones since January 2001, beginning as an editorial assistant for Newswires on the Spot News Desk, then located in Harborside, Jersey City, N.J. She held various positions over her more-than-16-year DJ career including copy reader, copy editor and most recently as an interactive news writer upon the creation of the Real-Time Desk. Jenny produced breaking-news headlines and edited and wrote copy, including the Hot Stocks column, for wires and the web.

Before joining Dow Jones, Jenny lived in Australia for a year in a “work abroad” program, where her duties included ad design for a local newspaper. She previously served as a desk editor with a biweekly home improvement trade paper in New York. Jenny earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and French from Rutgers University, where she served as associate managing editor at the Daily Targum.

We are heartbroken by this loss. Please remember Jenny’s family in your prayers and thoughts. Information about funeral arrangements will be provided as they are available.

Gerry