Jean was born in St. Paul, MN, on February 26, 1940, and at age 4 moved with her family to Duluth. She attended Washburn Elementary School and went on to graduate from Duluth East High School in 1958. She went on to UMD, where she met her husband-to-be and graduated in 1962 with an Elementary Degree in Education with a Junior High Endorsement. She began her teaching at Grant Elementary School in September of 1962 shortly after her marriage to Al. Three years later, she became a stay-at-home mother. When the children were older she returned to teaching by carpooling to Barnum for 6 years before again teaching in Duluth. She completed her teaching in 2000 as a school librarian at Nettleton Elementary. Throughout her years, Jean was involved in many volunteer activities. She was the church librarian at First United Methodist Church and was active in the Duluth Public Library, AAUW, 2by2 Couples Club, Girl Scouts, her Bridge Club, Duluth Area Retired Educators Association, Woman’s Club, Friends of the Library Board, PEO Chapter AL, Sieur du Lhuts nominee, Gamma Omicron Beta, Naomi Church Circle, and nominated for Port Cities Woman of the Year.
She was preceded in death by her father, Belmont Burdett Magee II; mother, Jean M. Magee (Johnson); and brother, Belmont “Sam” Burdett Magee III.
Jean is survived by her husband, Allen E. Merry; son, Allen D. (Shelley Kapustin) Merry; daughters, Sarah J. (Peter Markham) Merry and Anne C. (Jim Jumbeck) Merry-Jumbeck; two sets of twin grandchildren, Joshua and Jacob, and Lance and Lucy. Jean is also survived by her sisters, Laurie (George) Flanders and Bonnie (John) Simenson; in-laws, Charles (Karen) and Roger Merry; and many nieces and nephews, and several lifelong friends.
The family extends their thanks to Chris Jensen’s Health and Rehabilitation for the care and comfort given to Jean.
Visitation: 4:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday July 11, 2018, at First United Methodist Church, 230 E Skyline Parkway, Duluth. The visitation will continue the following day, Thursday, July 12, 2018, from 10:00 until the 11:00 a.m. funeral service in the church. Interment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery.
