Raising a glass of white zin, with much love to Jean, today and always.
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When someone you love becomes a memory...the memory becomes a treasure!
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I will really miss her infectious smile and her sense of humor. It was always a pleasure to see Jean when I went to visit Stacey and Colin. Such a fun, great woman. Thank you for being so damn cool Jean! RIP.
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El Dorado Park West Senior Center, North Studebaker Road, Long Beach, CA, USA
Jean and friends enjoying Halloween event @Eldo West Senior Center
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Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
Our Jean loved a good musical.
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2022, Joe Jost's, East Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA, USA
Having fun at Long Beach’s oldest dive bar!
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I am so sad to hear of Jean's passing. She was one of my first supervisors at Long Beach Parks and Rec when I was in college. She made quite an impression on me! Let's just say she was always running around town in her silver van getting things to enrich the experience for kids at Wardlow Park. Every week she would load up that van with off brand soft drinks and I'd help her lug the cases into the activity room. She'd sell the soda to the park kids for 25 cents a can. One day I asked her if "that was legal" and might she get in trouble. Ha Ha Ha Jean said, never answering my question. Then she would be off again going to some remote speciality store to buy little craft supplies that would make the kids happy. She never sat down very often and she walked really fast. She had a big purse that was overflowing with little white receipts, LOL. I always laughed when she was around and that's when we (probably young staff) started calling her "Mean Gean." (also referenced in another post). She was never mean, but we just loved kidding her. She taught me to be resourceful and that it was OK to bend the rules a bit if it was for the greater good. Those were good times!
Later in both of our careers, I was always interested in Jean's ability to create recreation programming seemingly out of nothing. She's talk to whoever was around about joining her new class. I don' think I ever saw her in a bad mood.
After her retirement, and when I had moved on to the City of Los Alamitos, she would just burst into my office unannounced. She would sit for a while and we would catch up on our 40+ year friendship. Then she'd be off to another activity. She was truly an original....such a kind-hearted and wonderful person.
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I worked with Jean for many years. We were in the same department, I worked back in Graphics where Jeana would pick up her orders of flyers and of course the class schedule. It was one of my jobs to be sure staff picked up their orders as well as they had to sign for them. They were allotted just so many class so we had enough to go to all the parks and libraries. One time Jean came into my office and signed off for her class schedules and began loading her car. I reminded her how many bundles she was able to take and she shouted from her vehicle, "I'll take what ever I want you old biddy!" (I was 10 years her junior!) She drove off laughing. Many years later Jean & I took aerobics together at the El Dorado senior center. She was way in the back of the room and every time our instructor would tell us to raise or arms or legs higher Jean would yell out without fail "higher". Rest in Peace... you old biddy! I will always remember that day!
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It’s taken me a long time and a lot of thinking about sharing my wonderful memories about Jean. Jean was my first boss when I was 16 years old and was hired by the City of Long Beach Parks and Recreation. I have known her for over 50 years. Throughout that time she continued to reach out to me to see how my family was and to join her many adventures she had planned. Trips to the Hollywood Bowl where she had her entire route planned, and as soon as we got off the bus she said “Let’s go”!
When I came back to the City of Long Beach after being gone for 20 years, she was the first one to reach out to me and say she was so glad that I was back. When I was the supervisor at El Dorado Park where she volunteered numerous hours, she basically never listened to me and acted as if she was the supervisor there. We joked about it all the time!
Jean was my mentor, friend and I will miss her dearly.
Love you Jean❤️
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The Key of Love, Imagination
You must cultivate imagination, not only imagination of places and form, but imagination of feeling. Humanity has no imagination of the effect of its own speech and emotions upon other creatures, including other people. Imagination is the primary quality for you to develop, because it is only through imagination that you learn the feelings of others. And this, my dear ones, is the key to love..... When you develop your power of imagination and the power of love which all these other things promote and stimulate... you will see beautiful things. You will see that the world is governed by love
AWAKENING: A Guide for Living with Death and Dying
In response to "What did you learn from Jean?"
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The Key of Love, Imagination
- You must cultivate imagination, not only imagination of places and form, but imagination of feeling. Humanity has no imagination of the effect of its own speech and emotions upon other creatures, including other people. Imagination is the primary quality for you to develop, because it is only through imagination that you learn the feelings of others. And this, my dear ones, is the key to love..... When you develop your power of imagination and the power of love which all these other things promote and stimulate... you will see beautiful things. You will see that the world is governed by love.
AWAKENING: A Guide for Living with Death and Dying
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I had the honor for working for Jean at Wardlow Park. Her legend is not exaggerated. An amazing woman. I also had the honor of kayaking with her and pool parties at her house. She was always ready for fun. I haven’t seen her for many years but still feel as though a piece of Long Beach passed along with her. She belonged to LB. Rest well Jean.
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We first met Jean and her girls decades ago at YMCA Family Camp. She was a local treasure and we always enjoyed seeing her out walking or at events in the neighborhood. Although we could see it was difficult for her to get around, there she was with her walker and and doggy out and about the Ranchos wearing a smile. Rest In Peace Jean, you will be missed.
Our sincere condolences, Dorothy & Helmut Golz and Family
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El Dorado Park West Senior Center, Long Beach, CA
Jean in her iconic hat & sweater. She was an absolute pillar of the ElDo Senior Center.
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So sorry to learn of Jean’s passing. I was honored to have worked with Jean at Parks and Rec and to have had the chance to get to know this amazing woman After Jean retired, I was happy to run into her on the shuttle from the Lakewood Center Mall to the Hollywood Bowl many summers. my son, Jay, also became friends with Jean when they shared many aqua aerobics classes at the JCC she was a wonderful lady May she Rest In Peace and May her memory always be for a blessing — Barbara Alhadeff
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