Jean Marie Wiegenstein
April 13, 1920 - January 27, 2006
Obituary
Jean M. Wiegenstein
Born April 13, 1920 in Butte, Montana; died January 27, 2006 in Seattle, Washington.
Jean Marie was born to Henry and Mary Ellen Wiegenstein in 1920, joining her brother John and sister Rita. Strong bonds among the three siblings and with their mother were reinforced when their father died at a relatively young age. These bonds continued into the next generation of the family as Jean became aunt to 11 nephews and nieces, all of whom she spoiled shamelessly and all of whom loved her inordinately.
Jean graduated from the University of Montana in 1943 with a B.A. in business and education. Upon graduation, she taught high school for two years in Whitehall, Montana. After the war the family moved to Seattle. There Jean worked first at Bank of America; she then worked at a Seattle law firm as a legal secretary for over thirty years, retiring in 1985.
Like her mother, Jean was a fantastic cook and baker, and she had plenty of opportunity to indulge those gifts. She also created beautiful embroidery, refinished many a piece of furniture, and grew beautiful, fragrant roses. Dogs were her greatest love, though, and Jean had a long succession of well-loved pets starting with Jingo in Butte and then Ruffy, Pepper and Misty during her many years in Seattle.
If to love and be loved is the measure of a life well lived, then Jean lived an extraordinarily good and full life. She was the heart of her extended family, and will be sorely missed by her brother, John; her nieces and nephews Mary, Jane, Ann, Margaret and John Wiegenstein and John, Mark, Greg, Tony, and Phil L’Esperance; her great-nephews and nieces Andrew Fleischman, Laura Soden, Michael, Ryan & Garth L’Esperance, and Grace & Emma Wiegenstein; her great-grandniece Addison Fleischman; her cousin Father Tom Kuykendall; and many dear friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 AM on Wednesday, February 1, at St Bridget Church in Seattle. Recitation of the rosary will be at 7 PM, Tuesday, January 31, at Bonney-Watson on Capitol Hill. Friends and family are invited to share memories and sign the online guestbook at http://www.bonneywatson.com. Remembrances may be made to the Association of Catholic Childhood, The Humane Society, or to a charity of your choice.
My deepest sympathy to John and all the nieces and nephews. She was a lovely, friendly woman and a fellow dog-lover.