Jeanne Alderson lived her life as a dedicated wife, mother, artist and teacher. She was a friend to many and the mother of David, Doug and Steve, grandmother of Alexia, Cheyenne and Joseph, great-grandmother of Gareth, and mother-in-law to Sarah, Cyndi and Hua.
She was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 5th, 1930, to Edward Olmstead and Mary Nagy, and she had three brothers, Bud, Bob and Don, and one sister, Kathryn. She met John Alderson while attending college at the University of Illinois and she proposed marriage while in the library one day, or so the story goes. They married in 1951 and began to raise a family in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She inherited many relatives from her husband’s side of the family, including those from the Barnums, Rudows and Cryslers, and they accepted her as one of their own. And even as dementia crept into her later years, she continued a strong love for family and beamed a positive outlook.
A big change in her life was the move to Tallahassee in 1968 on a typically humid August afternoon that would have been considered life threatening in Illinois. Having degrees in Art Education and English, she began work as a substitute teacher and eventually became an English tutor at Tallahassee Community College. She enjoyed writing newspaper and magazine articles for the Tampa Tribune, Tallahassee Magazine and others, but her great passion was oil painting. Upon retirement, she painted with gusto and her beautiful landscapes and bird portraits adorn the walls of family and friends. A highlight was when she won best of show at a Tallahassee Senior Center art exhibit in 2017.
Jeanne loved to travel and she and John visited India several times along with Europe, Alaska, the Far East, Central America, Hawaii and Arizona. Her love of the Tallahassee area was deep, however, and she often frequented the woods, waters and coast with family, and this was reflected in her artwork. She attended Unity of Tallahassee and Unity Eastside for most of her life in Tallahassee and she also had a strong affinity with East Indian spirituality. Jeanne Alderson lived a long and full life, and she will be missed by many.
The family wishes to thank Big Bend Hospice and the Threshold Choir for their service, along with her many supportive friends from all walks of her life. A celebration of Jeanne’s life will be held June 1st at 11 a.m. at Unity Eastside, 8551 Buck Lake Road, with a potluck to follow.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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