Jean W. Re, age 93, of 12851 Arnot Lane, Bristow, VA and formerly of 22 Easy Street, Selinsgrove, PA, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, June 9, 2021, at Novant Health UVA Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, VA after a brief illness.
Born Jean Lucille Wood on December 30, 1927, in Baxter Springs, KS, she was the daughter of Grace W. (Bancroft) and Charles E. Wood.
After the family moved to Milwaukee, WI, Jean graduated from Bay View High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Upon her college graduation, she accepted a position working as a civilian at Fort Sheridan U.S. Army Base outside Chicago, IL. She went on to become the Service Club Director for several years at USAG Kaiserslautern Army Base in Kaiserslautern, Germany. There she fulfilled her lifelong dream of traveling abroad visiting many European countries and enjoyed the culture and people of Germany. After the death of her mother, Jean was employed at Fort Dix Army Base outside Trenton, NJ, eventually moving on to become Service Club Director at United States Forces Azores on Terceira Island. There she met her future husband, Leone E. Re, an airman, and translator for the U.S. Air Force. She married Leone in 1957.
After residing in New Haven, CT, and Pawling, NY, Jean and Leone settled in Selinsgrove, PA where Leone was a professor of romance languages at Susquehanna University. Jean fulfilled her dream of having a family and was the loving, devoted mother to three daughters. She was employed for 18 ½ years as a caseworker for the state-owned facility, Selinsgrove Center, where she worked as a compassionate advocate for intellectually disabled residents and their families.
Jean was a modern woman for her time, attaining a college degree, traveling both domestically and abroad, was fiercely independent, a strong advocate of women, single until the age of 30, and gave birth to her last child at nearly 41. In addition to travel, she was a lifelong lover of classical music having played both the piano and violin, fine cuisine, cooking, entertaining, politics, and current events. She passed on many of these interests to her daughters as well as her motto of living by The Golden Rule, ‟Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
She is survived by daughters Kathryn R. Re of Manassas, VA, Leslie R. Engman of Stockholm Sweden, and Stephanie R. Sheridan of Herndon, VA, grandchildren Austin R. and Julia R. Sheridan of Herndon, VA and sons-in-law Gert S. Engman of Stockholm, Sweden, and Robert B. Sheridan of Herndon, VA. Jean is also survived by eight nieces and nephews and twelve grandnieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband in 1989, her mother in 1956, her father in 1958, and by sisters Marion W. Wood in 1935 and Helen L. (Wood) Aker in 2014.
According to Jean’s wishes, a private viewing and funeral service will be held for family only on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at Baker-Post Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Manassas, VA with a reception for family and invited friends at Jean’s home. Interment will be at Orchard Hills Cemetery in Shamokin Dam, PA at the family’s convenience. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) or Parkinson’s Foundation (www.parkinson.org).