Jean Dorothy Gulick

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN JEAN'S NAME MAY BE MADE TO THE CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE.

OUR MOTHER, JEAN D. GULICK OF THE CALIFORNIA BAY AREA PASSED AWAY SAT. 3/19/22. SHE WAS 91, SOON TO BE 92 ON 5/10/22. JEAN’S PARENTS WERE HAROLD & DOROTHY STEVES OF WALNUT CREEK, CA. JEAN’S SIBLINGS WERE RODNEY AND NORMAN STEVES AND FLORENCE RINGEL. JEAN’S HERITAGE IS COMPRISED OF THE FAMILY OF HER FATHER HAROLD MASON STEVES, AND HER MOTHER DOROTHEA MAY DROGE.

JEAN IS SURVIVED BY HER SON SKIP PRINTZ, WHO WORKS IN SALES WITH A CHURCH FURNITURE MANUFACTURER AND LIVES IN RIVERSIDE CA WITH HIS WIFE JONI AND THEIR TWO OLDEST CHILDREN SEAN AND KRISTIN. SKIP AND JONI’S YOUNGEST SON JAIME AND HIS WIFE JAMIE, LIVE WITH THEIR SON MICAH (WHO IS 1 ½) IN SALT LAKE CITY UTAH. MICAH IS JEAN'S ONLY GREAT-GRANDCHILD. JEAN’S ELDEST DAUGHTER STACEE FISCHER WORKS WITH THE CITY OF SAN JOSE AND LIVES IN MORGAN HILL, CA WITH HER LIFE PARTNER GREGORY MORRILL. JEAN’S DYNAMIC DAUGHTER DIANA RUDROW, A WIDOW, IN MANAGEMENT WITH SEAGATE TECHNOLOGIES IN COLORADO, HAS SONS JUSTIN AND JOSHUA.

JEAN’S EARLY YEARS WERE IN MODESTO AND OAKLAND. AS A CHILD, THE FAMILY BUSINESSES WERE HER LIFE. MOST REMARKABLY, THE FAMILY OWNED “CANARY DEN” IN SAN FRANCISCO, OF WHICH HERB CAEN WROTE IN HIS BOOK “BAGHDAD BY THE BAY”. IN THE 1930’S AND 4O’S THE CANARY DEN WAS FEATURED FOR ITS UNIQUE TOLERANCE AND WELCOME HOME TO SAILORS AND OTHER TRAVELERS WHO NEEDED A PLACE TO DINE AND RELAX, AND TO REST THEIR FEATHERED COMPANIONS. (MOM WOULD WHISPER DISCRETELY THAT THOSE DARN BIRDS DID MAKE QUITE THE DIN, AND SOILED MANY A NEWSPAPER!)

IN JEAN’S ADOLESCENT YEARS SHE LIVED ON HAGEMAN CT. IN OAKLAND AND ENJOYED GREAT CLOSENESS, FUN AND MISCHIEF WITH HER NEIGHBOR GIRLFRIENDS. THEY CALLED THEMSELVES “THE HAGEMAN HAGS” AND REMAINED IN TOUCH THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES! FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME, MOM RELATED MEMORIES OF WORLD WAR II AND THE TENSION AND FEAR FELT BY ALL. AFTER PEARL HARBOR THE DADS OF HAGEMAN CT. WOULD ALTERNATE SHIFTS ON THEIR ROOFTOPS AT NIGHT TO KEEP WATCH ON THE SKIES TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORS. MOM REMEMBERED THE FAMILY DRIVING HER BROTHER, A SERVICEMAN REPORTING FOR DUTY, THROUGH THE STREETS OF OAKLAND TO THE PORT. CROWDS OF PEOPLE LINED THE STREETS AND CHEERED AS THOSE IN UNIFORM ROSE TO THE CRY OF WAR BY THE JAPANESE.

JEAN CAME TO LEARN AND LOVE BALLROOM DANCING. SHE NEVER MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO ILLUSTRATE TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THE EASE OF THIS ‘QUESTIONNABLY-SIMPLE’ ACTIVITY. FROM OUR ADOLESCENCE UP THROUGH RECENT YEARS, THERE WERE SPONTANEOUS LESSONS AND MOM’S BLISSFUL DISREGARD FOR THE EMBARRASSMENT IT CAUSED US HER CHILDREN (AND OUR FRIENDS!), THE BARELY WILLING STUDENTS!

JEAN’S HUSBANDS, GEORGE E. (GENE) PRINTZ, WM. GERALD (JERRY) BALL, AND JOHN I. GULICK, WERE THE FOUNDATION OF HER LIFE. GENE PRINTZ DECEASED IN 1964 IN AN AIRPLANE THAT WENT DOWN AND WAS LOST IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN BETWEEN CALIF. AND HAWAII. JEAN AND JERRY RAISED SKIP, STACEE AND DIANA IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY. THE FAMILY ENJOYED ACTIVE LIVES WITH A LARGE CIRCLE OF GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS AND UNCLES, AND APPROXIMATELY 16 COUSINS.

MOM’S HANDS-DOWN FAVORITE AT ALL TIMES WAS BEING WITH HER IMMEDIATE AND EXTENDED FAMILIES. SHE ABSOLUTELY LOVED FAMILY PICNICS, DINNERS, SKI TRIPS AND CAMPOUTS. A TRADITION OF SUMMERS AT THE RINGEL CABIN IN BEAUTIFUL LAKE ALMANOR INSPIRED A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES FOR ALL OF US. AS THE FUN NANA, SHE ATTENDED ROLLER AND ICE HOCKEY GAMES AND BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE GAMES, AS WELL AS BIRTHDAYS AND CHRISTMAS.

IN ONE OF HER EARLIEST PROFESSIONS, JEAN WAS A STEWARDESS AND LATER A MEMBER OF THE FORMER STEWARDESSES’ GROUP CALLED “DUSTY WINGS”. THEN, IN ALL OF HER PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT YEARS, JEAN WORKED IN ACCTG. AFTER ‘RETIRING’ AT AGE 50, SHE FOUND HER JOY AND PASSION AS A PROFESSIONAL FLORAL DESIGNER. JEAN AND HER PARTNER LOUISE BARR IN MORAGA, CA, SHARED PRECIOUS TIMES OF CLOSE FRIENDSHIP AND MANY HOURS OF COMMITTED, DILIGENT HARD WORK, HILARITY, LAUGHTER AND ADVENTURES. THEIR STUNNING WORK WAS DISPLAYED IN VARIOUS HOTELS, AT LOCAL EVENTS AND NUMEROUS WEDDINGS IN THE BAY AREA.

LATER, JEAN AND HUSBAND JOHN GULICK OF 33 YEARS EVENTUALLY LIVED IN RENO, IN AN AMAZING HOME THEY DESIGNED AS A TEAM. HER TALENT WITH FLOWERS FLOURISHED. SHE DESIGNED EXTRAORDINARY CREATIONS FOR THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION, GROUP EVENTS, AND HER GRATIS WORK WAS EVEN DISPLAYED IN THE MONTHLY PERFORMANCES OF THE RENO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. IN HER HOME, HER INVENTIVE SEASONAL ARRANGEMENTS WERE ENJOYED BY ALL WHO VIEWED THEM.

JEAN’S INIMITABLE HUMOR AND HEART LEFT A LASTING IMPRINT ON ALL THOSE SHE KNEW. SHE LEFT AN INVALUABLE LEGACY TO US, HER CHILDREN. ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE, AND MAY SEEM UNREALISTIC, JEAN GENUINELY WANTED GREAT, CLOSE, LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERYONE, AND EVERYONE MEANT A LOT TO HER! YOU WILL FIND THE SAME CARING, JOY AND EAGERNESS TO TRUST IN EACH OF US, SKIP, STACEE AND DIANA.

MOM BLESSED US WITH A LIFETIME OF LAUGHTER, MUSIC AND LOVE! THAT ETERNAL GLOWING HAPPY SPARK IN EACH OF US, MOM, IS YOU! (AND GRANDMA STEVES TOO)

TO CLOSE, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEND MOM A WISH FROM HER OWN FAVORITE BEVERAGE TOAST: “HERE’S TO YOU, MOM. AS GOOD AS YOU ARE!”