Jean Pearl Westerman

2/07/1939 - 2/14/2024

Jean Pearl Gray entered the world on February 7, 1939, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a first child to parents Lucille and William (“Willy”) Gray. They welcomed her little sister, Diane, six years later, with those two having a lifetime of adventures together.

Jean was a meticulous chronicler (with daily notes taken from the late 50’s to January 2024, though often in cryptic shorthand). She was able to quickly pull out a note dated August 19, 1961, Saturday: “Met Bob ‘Wasserman’ at Loon with Carol Berry.” She was 22 years old, hanging out at the local bar with her best friend, when she met her future husband. She thought he was cute and very nice, and, on February 24, 1962, they were married (in a snowstorm, of course!). Daughter Michele (Shelly) arrived later that year, the first Westerman/Gray grandchild. Daughter Tracy was born in 1963. Jean had always wanted a boy, and her wish was granted in January 1966 with the arrival of twins, Jill and Bobby.

Jean loved the early years with her brood, despite having to manage the stress of four children under the age of 5 running her ragged, while Bob was often gone, a traveling salesman. Jean giggled when telling the story of Bob spending too much time at Bonnie’s Tap. She thought she’d teach him a lesson by dropping off the kids and letting him take care. She came back a few hours later to find them playing games, drinking soda and having a blast. Their first Minneapolis home was around the corner from her parents. Lucy and Willy were known for their fantastic gatherings of family and friends. Jean’s closest companions were her Ledford cousins, the children of her Aunt Pearl and Uncle Pete Ledford. To say they were “thick as thieves” doesn’t relay the profound bonds they shared their entire lives. They were definitely a festive bunch!

Jean and Bob made a bold move and relocated their young family from Minneapolis to Cincinnati, Ohio for a brief time, followed by 7 years in Hazelwood, Missouri, outside of St. Louis. The family ventured south in 1978, settling just north of Atlanta, Georgia, where they would remain for more than 40 years. In late 2019, they moved to the Orlando area (Altamonte Springs, Florida) to be near daughter Jill.

Jean returned to the workforce when the twins began school, putting her journaling and secretarial skills to good use. She quickly rose through the ranks to the executive level, and in Atlanta had a long and prosperous career at what eventually became Verizon, where she retired from in 2003.

Jean’s life was especially distinguished by the relationships she and Bob shared with their close friends. They traveled, they went on cruises, and they partied with dear friends and new ones they made along the way. They also loved spending Atlanta summers with their first two grandchildren, Abigail and Alex Marsh and, later, a third grandchild, Zoë Mae BeDell.

Jean’s love of movies began at a young age. She once wrote to Shelly: “My favorite movies would be the musicals because most of the 50's were musicals (and early 60's) - both Dad and I - our favorite was The Music Man - we loved that. And, of course, Zhivago - that was our all-time favorite. Musicals and romance (Doris Day/Rock Hudson) were our choices - they were happy movies in our day - not this crap now.

Gene Kelly was really a great one with Singing In The Rain and An American In Paris. I know growing up I LIVED at the movies because we didn't have TV until I was 12 or 13 (if you can imagine) ... so we went to the movies a lot for 12 cents. My mom would walk me and my girlfriend to the theatre, we were 7 or 8 - we stayed all day - Bud Abbott and Lou Costello movies - Roy Rogers - Gene Autry - all the cowboys and tons of cartoons. Frankenstein and the Wolf Man came later and scared us to death. (Actually, my mom saw Frankenstein in 1932 with her older brother and she passed out - there were nurses carrying people on cots into the lobby to revive them haha). When I was 12, my girlfriends and I were hired by the Cedar Theatre to vacuum and pick up trash and we got to see free movies - we were thrilled. Movies were such a fun escapism. I still like old movies because I like happy endings and hate figuring out plots or having to think too much, or be sad, or be depressed. Loved Lana Turner, Barbara Stanwyck, Susan Hayward, Bette Davis - they can't be beat - even Ava Gardner - and of course my all-time favorite Elizabeth Taylor - especially Butterfield 8 - ah those were the days. The plots all made sense.”

Jean was an obsessive puzzler – crosswords in particular. She was adept on her iPhone and Ipad up until the very end, and she never missed playing Wordle and watching Jeopardy or what she called the “Wheel of Misfortune.” In her last months, she would randomly utter homophones (i.e., “pair, pear”; “bare, bear”).

She’d giggle when asked what on earth she was doing – she always strived to keep her mind sharp. She would also leave rhyming post-it notes around the house regarding wine consumption - “One and Done”; “Two Will Do.”

Jean lived with life-long respiratory issues, having whooping cough as a child and smoking for decades (as most did back in the day - she would always recite the exact day she quit, June 6, 1986!), then developing COPD. She endured numerous, lengthy hospitalizations with grace and humor. Her daughters came to her side, and her hospital rooms (once re-decorated with non-fluorescent lighting, her favorite satin pillow, peppermint oil and other personal items) became a social scene, nurses and doctors enjoying being in her space. She would learn everyone’s life stories and they all adored “Miss Jean”.

In 2022, after celebrating 60 years of marriage, Bob’s decades-long struggle with vascular dementia took its toll, and, after a brief nursing home stay, he passed away on October 5th, 2022. The void left behind was immeasurable, and Jean never truly recovered her joy.

Jean entered hospice care of her own accord on her 85th birthday, February 7th, 2024. Upon arrival, when asked if the nurse could get her anything, she whispered “Pinot Grigio!” Her family never left her bedside and, after seven days, she fittingly left this world to join her favorite Valentine on February 14th.

She was also preceded in death by her parents and her beloved son, Robert William Westerman, whom she tragically lost when he was 37 years old. Incredibly enough, her sister, Diane Franke, joined her in her celestial journey, just 38 hours after Jean’s death. Diane had been suffering from cancer and passed away in a Minneapolis hospice facility on February 16th, 2024.

Jean leaves behind daughters Shelly Westerman (Los Angeles), Tracy (Jon) BeDell (Houston), and Jill (Greg) Marsh (Longwood, FL); grandchildren Abigail Marsh (Marietta, GA), Alex (Amanda) Marsh (New Smyrna Beach, FL), and Zoë BeDell (Houston); and two great grandchildren, Patrick Alex Marsh and Palmer Jane Marsh (New Smyrna Beach, FL).

Whilst we know this is a long obituary, we must share these beautiful, fierce words from her beloved cousin Johnny Ledford:

To My Dear Cousin Jeanne

Wanted to put into writing some words I said on the phone yesterday, your birthday. So you’d have them.

You were as tough as Gramma Gray, with the heart of your mom and the gutsy spirit of Aunt Pearl. What a lineup! The bond which you and Bob tied for over SIXTY years has never come undone. Along the way through life, you held hands. When the road got muddy and he fell behind, you waited for him. Now you have fallen, and he waits for you.

But no need to hurry – stay with your girls as long as you can.

You and me, we did The Things, heard the chimes at midnight, and now, in December of our years, we’ll hear the mission bells toll. I gotta say, Dances On Tables, you were somethin’. And now you’ll go off to sing and dance on another stage. See you when, for that big reunion Up There. Tusa keeps the beer cold, PearlyGates has the band hummin’.

With so much love, I am always Cuzn JohnnyBGood.

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There are no plans for a local service, however, Jean & Bob’s Celebrations of Lives are being planned for the coming months in Atlanta and Minneapolis. The family invites everyone to submit photographs and their favorite memories at www.DignityMemorial.com.