When she was 10 years old, her family moved to Alice, Texas. She graduated from William Adams High School and earned her bachelor and master’s degrees from Texas A&I University.
She married Robert (Bob) Kreston on June 8, 1944. They had seven children: Nancy, Kathy, Tom, Bill, Susan, Andy and Jane. Education was extremely important to Jean, and she made sure all seven of her children graduated from college.
Jean was a VOE teacher for Alice ISD and taught accounting for Bee College. Every summer when school was out, Jean and Bob packed up their kids and went camping. They continued to camp into their 70s and traversed the world completing volkswalks in almost all 50 states and several countries.
Jean loved games and puzzles; Rummicube and Mexican Train Dominoes were among her favorites. She shared her love of games with her friends, children, grandkids, and even great-grandkids. When Jean discovered the computer, it quickly became her “game central,” and she began every day by completing a jigsaw puzzle.
After the passing of her best friend of 48 years, Bob, she decided to try a new adventure. She took a job at Fiesta Texas, loving her time there interacting with customers and making new friends. She “retired” from there when she was 82. Jean was not one to sit around and do nothing, however, so she soon volunteered at the St. Peter and Paul Thrift Store and the Hope Hospice Thrift Store in New Braunfels, Texas. Her strong accounting background quickly moved her into a cashier position. She loved it and continued working there until she was 91.
During her time working at Fiesta Texas, she met and married George McCollough. She and George regularly traveled and spent time enjoying life. They spent many evenings enjoying a movie or playing cribbage. Sadly, she lost George after a few years. She was fond of saying, “I was really lucky. I was able to share my life with two wonderful men.”
Jean is survived by her children, Kathy Smartt, Tom Kreston, Bill Kreston, Susan Frey and Jane Schlitt, 16 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by husbands Robert Kreston and George McCollough; her daughter, Nancy Kattner; and her son, Andy Kreston.
Visitation will be held at Zoeller Funeral home on Dec. 2 from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. followed by a rosary service. Funeral mass will be held at St. Peter and Paul in New Braunfels on Dec. 3 at 10:00 a.m.. A graveside service will be held at Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery in San Antonio at 1:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Peter & Paul School, Jean Kreston McCollough Education Fund, 315 N. Seguin, Ste. 300, New Braunfels, TX 78130.
