Jeanne Ellen Dornbos

With broken hearts, we want to share a few thoughts about our beloved mother and grandmother, Jeanne Ellen Dornbos, who passed away suddenly but peacefully on Christmas Day at the age of 74 in her home in Waldorf, Maryland. We take comfort that just before her unexpected passing she spent a joyful Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with her adored grandchildren in person and virtually.

Mom was known as "Sis" to her parents, Frank and Alice (Munson) Edmond, and her younger brother, Bruce Edmond. Her maternal grandparents were born in Sweden and she was always proud of that heritage, maintaining contact with cousins there throughout her life.

Mémé (her grandsons’ name for her) may never have thought of herself this way – she was modest to the core – but she was a trailblazer in her post-WWII generation. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida in 1946 and then raised in Buchanan, Michigan, she was a stellar student in grade school who took to math with ease, excelled at the Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan during her teens, and then earned her B.A. in economics at the University of Michigan. She was usually one of very few women in her major classes there, yet she thrived.

Grandma Jeanne (her granddaughters’ name for her) met her husband at U of M and they ultimately moved to Portage, Michigan to start a family. First came a son, William Edmond Dornbos, in 1972 and then a second, Stephen Quinn Dornbos, in 1974. She loved us like all devoted mothers do – fiercely, without reservation, and always ready with a supportive word and reassuring hug when needed. She gave us loving childhoods, one of life's greatest gifts.

While still a stay-at-home mother, Mom went back to school and earned a Master of Science in Accountancy from Western Michigan University. She was such a natural that she stayed on after graduation as an accounting instructor, teaching Introduction to Accounting and intermediate courses as well. We can still remember watching her grade exams with a red pen while also being our Mom at home. She passed her CPA exam and started a professional career in accounting that began as a Senior Tax Accountant at First of America Bank Corporation in Kalamazoo, Michigan and ended as the Chief Financial Officer of Risk Management at Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) in Charlotte, North Carolina. She succeeded with her own style, a whip-smart woman with a sharp sense of humor who was also everyone's mother.

What was even more amazing was that Mom was a pioneer despite the adversity she faced – some just the more typical challenges of modern life, like divorce and being a single mother, and some more personal, like her struggle with breast cancer, which she valiantly survived, and Addison's Disease, a disorder of the adrenal gland that can make day-to-day life extremely challenging. She persevered through all of this and, because of her positive energy and spirit, it is unlikely that many actually knew of her physical afflictions except for close family and friends.

In her retirement, Mom absolutely loved being a grandmother to her four beloved grandchildren, Zeke (9), Gino (7), Talia (7), and Sanna (4). She was born for this role and showered her grandchildren with unconditional love and support. Her world lit up with the arrival of Zeke as her first grandchild, and the light just kept getting brighter with each new addition to the family. Mom knew each of her grandchildren’s personalities and thoughtfully helped them cultivate their own interests. She even moved away from her close friends in Charlotte to be an almost daily presence in the lives of her grandsons. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy and they will sorely miss her as they grow up, though even their short time with her will leave a lasting legacy of loving memories.

We do not believe our Mom passed away due to COVID-19 – she had no symptoms at the time and had been extremely careful given her medical vulnerabilities – but we do know the many months of pandemic quarantine were incredibly frustrating for her and us. She was not able to see her granddaughters in person and while video and phone calls helped, they were never enough for her or us. Our Mom was not served well at all by those in power – especially the current President, who she fervently wished to see defeated – and her family will not ever forget or forgive that fact. Her spirit lightened over the last couple of months in anticipation of the most diverse Presidential administration in U.S. history and the newly approved COVID-19 vaccines.

We will forever remember our Mom as a kind and generous soul who believed strongly in helping others and who understood all too well what it meant to be less fortunate in life and in health. If you would like to make a donation in her honor, please consider giving to 24 Foundation, Helping Children of DR Congo, Elizabeth Park Conservancy, Children’s Wisconsin, and Center for Adoption Support and Education. All were special to her and have connections to her grandchildren.

Mom was preceded in death by her parents and her brother. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Kathy Edmond, and her sons and their families: Bill and his wife, Elizabeth Benton, and their daughters, Talia and Sanna, of West Hartford, Connecticut, and Steve and his wife, Margaret Fraiser, and their sons, Zeke and Gino, of Fort Washington, Maryland. Many other family members and friends around the country and overseas will miss her dearly as well; we greatly appreciate the love and friendship they shared with our Mom. A memorial celebration of her life will take place when it is safe to gather.