Jean was born and raised in the area near Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Her Christian faith within her family shaped much of her early life. As a young woman, she became a School Sister of St. Francis, dedicating herself to faith and education.
To prepare herself for ministry, she took the usual college courses and prepared herself specifically for a career in music education. Music was her passion, and she played the organ, piano, and violin with great feeling.
Teaching music wasn’t just Jean’s job; it was something she deeply loved, and she brought music education to students in four different schools in Illinois from 1957 through 1972. Later, Jean continued to teach music in the Cedarburg public schools.
In 2000, Jean retired and started to volunteer at the Samaritan Health Center in West Bend and also at St. Joseph Convent in Campbellsport. In her writings and in her life, it was very evident that she appreciated all the training and the friendships of those who were supportive of her in her earlier years. She said she realized that “prayer life and spirituality were still important to me, and I always wanted to continue with that.”
Years after continuing to care for their family and children, and then experiencing the death of her husband, Jean wanted to again be united with the School Sisters through Associate Relationship. She loved the training that she had received in music, and the spiritual development that was always a part of her. She decided to reunite with the School Sisters of St. Francis.
Throughout her life, Jean said she “felt I was carrying out the School Sister mission, and the connections with my family and grandchildren were a balance in all aspects of life.” She reached out to become an associate in the early years of Associate Relationship. At that time, the community offered prayer experiences, extending hospitality, sharing enriching experience, and providing opportunities for community meetings to Jean.
For her part, Jean committed “to make the Gospel more meaningful and credible. I would then share the growth process of Christian life as it extends into hospital work and share information and resources in the field of education.” In an article in Alive magazine when Jean celebrated 40 years of Associate Relationship, Jean said she cherished “all the opportunities to be involved in the community’s mission and in living out mission with whomever I meet. It is really a relationship and an interest between what we have to offer and what the community offers to us. That is so important to me. We are all involved in this together.”
Now a resident of Clement Manor in Greenfield, Jean continues to live out the mission and charism of the School Sisters of St. Francis. Congratulations on 50 years as an associate of the School Sisters of St. Francis, Jean! Your quiet dedication, kind spirit, and love of music are wonderful gifts to all who know you.