Jeanne Cowley Korgenski

Wow, that was a life well-lived! Mildred Jeanne Cowley Korgenski was born on August 22, 1926 in Salt Lake City to Frank Kenneth and Rosa Josephine Cowley. Jeanne passed away peacefully on March 5, 2018 after a fall that fractured several neck vertebrae. Her life was full and she touched all that knew her, leaving everlasting memories. Jeanne married Ernest Wendell “Bud” Korgenski on August 27, 1948 and this year would have been their 70th wedding anniversary. Their life was dedicated to family and friends. Jeanne has left behind their 3 children and their spouses; Kent (Lana), Ted (Marcy), and Kathy (Ron) as well as 12 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. Jeanne is preceded in death by her husband Bud (October 23, 2014) and her loving sister, Florence Trunnell (November 14, 2016).

Jeanne grew up living on Wall Street; a home she often remembered during her final years when short term memory was gone. As a young child, she loved being active and outside. She often talked of hiking the hills by the capital, exploring caves, and swimming at Wasatch Springs where her grandfather was caregiver. She started life being a shy girl, so the family decided she spend one year of high school with relatives in Southern California. It must have worked because “shy” is not a trait that anyone would use who knew her. She graduated from West High School. Early jobs included working at Daynes Music where she collected a large phonograph collection that she still has today. She volunteered at the Army Corps at Fort Douglas during the war where she made several lifelong friends. Mr. Weinstock introduced her to bookkeeping, a career she did for most of her life. She loved numbers and did the “books” for Meadows and Korgenski Masonry, Korgenski Woodworks, Quist Gardens, Jackie’s Sample Shop, CNS and a host of others.

Jeanne was the “boy” that her father wanted and she loved the outdoors. They went on many fishing and bird hunting trips. After starting their family, Bud and Jeanne made family the top priority. Each weekend, they planned (mostly Jeanne) to go somewhere in their truck and camper. In the spring, it was usually to the desert to ride motorcycles or Utah destinations they had not seen. The family went waterskiing in summer, Payette Lake the first week of August, bird hunting and more unknown destinations in fall, and snow skiing in the winter. Most “weekend adventures” included our extended family; the Trunnell’s, the Brunisholz’s , and the Reed’s.

Jeanne loved to travel, Bud not so much. So Gloria and Jeanne would often go to the library to hear and view the travel related events. When Bud and Kent started selling their woodworks, she loved travelling the West to attend the Craft Fairs. Bud and Jeanne took Kathy for her high school graduation to San Diego, which started a yearly tradition of renting a beach apartment for a month. Each child and their family had a week assigned to vacation in San Diego that left everlasting memories for all. She especially enjoyed the cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean with Kent, Lana, Ted and Marcy.

Later in life, the family built a cabin at Bear Lake. This included efforts from all the family including extended family. The cabin is a place to relax, have fun, and leave the stress of everyday life behind. Bud and Jeanne gifted the cabin for family use to keep the family together, strong, and continue to build lasting memories. What a gift!

Jeanne lived her life with courage. She battled and defeated both metastatic cancer and dementia. Her final years were spent in assisted living, mainly at Cottonwood Place. There she made it her job to welcome new residents and make them feel welcome. Although she longed to have her freedom and go back to the way things used to be, she always had a smile when you would visit. She loved her “escapes”, going on rides to anywhere, and continued to be involved with family activities, whether that was Sunday dinner with Kathy’s family, Keri’s parties, or holiday celebrations with the rest of the family. Even after her tragic fall, she battled hard before succumbing to the reality of her failing body.

Jeanne loved people! She would talk with anyone but her secret was listening, hearing other people’s stories and adventures. She never wanted the focus to be on her. She leaves some valuable lessons that we all should follow: be happy; the family provides the strength to survive; contribute more to the family than you take; smile and make people smile back; listen and be compassionate; love all. Jeanne, you will be missed but all the memories will keep you in our hearts.

Funeral services will be conducted at Wasatch Lawn (3401 South Highland Dr) and will include a viewing on Monday, March 12 between 6:00 and 8:00 pm and a gravesite service on Tuesday, March 13 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to Youth Impact (website: http://www.youthimpactogden.org/ Click on “Donate” under “All Donors”).