Jennifer Edith Colborn

“Gimme a ‘J!’ Gimme a ‘C!’ Let’s all hear it for Jenney!” On Sunday, February 27, one of life’s greatest cheerleaders passed on, leaving an amazing legacy behind her. Jenney Colborn, of Ventura, California was a constant source of cheer and support for her friends and family. Not a day of her life passed when she didn’t smile, laugh and make someone’s day the better for having been in her presence.

Especially blessed are Jim Colborn (Jenney’s husband of 42 years) and her four children and their respective families: Daisy and Scott Mastroianni (and children Jennifer, Grace, Sofia and Domenic), Rose and Jim Tyvand (and children Talin and Alma), Holly and Jamie Nichols (and children Ellie and Abby) and Jimmy and Cheri Colborn.

Jenney began life on February 16, 1947 in Wabash, IN. Her vibrant personality kept her involved in Girl Scouts, various clubs and sororities and activities that ranged from ice skating to horse-back riding. Jenney told many fond stories of growing up near her cousins in small mid-western towns. She still has extended family in the Michigan City, IN area.

Although a proverbial cheerleader her whole life, Jenney honed her skills while cheering at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and later at Whittier College. Jenney graduated from UCLA with a BS in Sociology. She then embarked on an adventure that would take her around the world as her husband began a career with Major League Baseball.

For over 40 years, Jenney supported and rooted for her husband, Jim. She was a staple at every baseball stadium he ever played or coached in. She was the most welcoming fan and the friendliest face you could hope to see at a game.

Although Jenney brought her children with her to nearly every baseball game, she also created a wonderfully nurturing environment at home. Famous for saying things like, “I’m here to be your mother, not your friend,” Jenney’s relationship actually evolved into the very closest of friendships with each of her four grown children and their spouses. Welcoming, warm, and full of light, energy and activity, Jenney’s was the home that the neighborhood children flocked to. Even today, it is a favorite place for her eight (and soon to be nine) grandchildren.

Jenney was not just a side-line cheerleader. Among a lifetime of accomplishments, she was the long-time president of Solimar Beach Colony, a member of the Spanish Hills Golf Team, the organizer of holiday boutiques, a Girl Scout troop leader, a pre-school teacher, a piano player and much more.

Jenney had a true and actual knack of energizing and mobilizing individuals and small groups. She was energy and organization personified. But more, were her skills on the personal level. She was a knitter, a chatter, a listener and an advisor who motivated without pushing. She was a nurturer and a good friend. She was a cheerleader of life and those who knew her were blessed because of it.

In addition to her husband, children, and grandchildren, Jenney is survived by her mother, Charlotte Sands; brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Barbie Sands; cousin, Lorrie Colborn, and her husband, Jake; as well as other in-laws to whom she was very close: mother-in-law, Carolyn Muller; sisters-in-law, Jane Smallwood, Merry Nell Colborn, and Laurel Colborn; and brothers-in-law, Nort Colborn and Doug Colborn.

The Colborn family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to Dr. Bartosz Chmielowski and UCLA’s Cancer Center as well as the Livingston Memorial Hospice and all other individuals who took the opportunity to cheer and support Jenney over the last two years.

A memorial service celebrating Jenney’s life will begin 11 a.m., Saturday, March 5, 2011 at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 3169 Telegraph Rd., Ventura.

The Jim Colborn Baseball League (JCBL) has established a Jenney Colborn Memorial Scholarship to assist players in their pursuit of higher education. If you would like to make a donation to the JCBL in Jenney’s name, it may be sent to The Jim Colborn Baseball League, 590 W. Main St. #244, Santa Paula, CA 93060.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home and Crematory, 3150 Loma Vista Rd., Ventura. Condolences may be left at www.tedmayrfuneralhome.com.