Jean Harrover passed away at her home in Old Town Manassas on Dec. 11, 2018, in the company of her family.

Jean was born September 17, 1941 to Herbert and LaVonne Kriesel, the oldest of four children. Jean was baptized a Lutheran on Dec. 7, 1941. The family first lived at several places close to Washington, DC. In 1949 they moved to Bristow where her Dad owned and operated a dairy farm while also working at USDA in Washington, DC. She was active in 4-H, band, was an accomplished majorette, and showed Holstein heifers.
Jean graduated from Osborn High School in 1959 and attended Valparaiso University as a music major for two years. She worked at the Department of Interior and the Manassas Journal Messenger until Jean married Curtis, the love of her life, in 1962.

Jean was an energetic and dedicated life-long Manassas resident committed to serving the community. Jean positively impacted the City of Manassas in many ways. She contributed much of her time as a volunteer to the City of Manassas Public Schools as a young mother. She served on the Architectural Review Board for 12 years and was recognized as Manassas Volunteer of the Year and Woman of the Year. Jean played a vital role in the restoration of the historic Manassas Court House.

Jean and Curtis opened their home to guests as Bennett House Bed & Breakfast beginning in 1994. It operated up until her hospitalization in November 2018 to rave reviews. She was an active member of the Manassas Garden Club, the Woman’s Club of Manassas, and volunteered much of her time to the Manassas Museum. Jean was passionate about the city that she so loved, and wanted to see the historic heart of Manassas preserved and protected.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Carole, and her nephew Billy. She is survived by Curtis, son Andrew (Sarah), son Bryan (Poppy), and daughter Carole (David Potts), all of Manassas, plus five grandchildren and five nieces and nephews. Also surviving are sister Gretchen Stoll of Chesapeake, Va. and brother Warren Kriesel of Athens, Ga, and sister Hattie Robertson of Ruckersville, Va.

The family will receive visitors on Sunday, December 16, 2018, from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Baker-Post Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 10001 Nokesville Road, Manassas, Va. All are invited to attend her funeral service on Monday, December 17, 2018 beginning at 12:00 p.m. at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 8712 Plantation Lane, Manassas, Va. Interment will immediately follow at Sudley United Methodist Church cemetery, 5308 Sudley Road, Catharpin, Va. The family will welcome everyone to the Harrover’s home at 9252 Bennett Drive, Manassas, Va. immediately following interment.

Expressions of sympathy should take the form of a donation to The Manassas Museum Associates, or the Osbourn High School Alumni Association