Jeanne Smith Nolan

Jeanne was a people person her entire life.  She was not just a mother of six and a wife of 60 years but the “other mother” to the children of her friends as well as her own children’s close friends, a loyal lifelong friend to her many girlfriends from grammar school, high school and college, a “favorite” Aunt to 22 nieces and nephews not to mention “Aunt” to her cousin’s kids (another 50 or more) of the larger Irish Catholic clan.  She was a loyal and fierce defender of her older sister and brother and a devoted daughter who helped care for her mother in her last years. 

She was a neighborhood stalwart: a helper to many elderly in her neighborhood as well as to new mothers, a coach on the spot to any kid who needed pointers, the Mom to take extra kids to the beach, or to feed a few extra small mouths at lunchtime or later. You could count on Mrs. Nolan to be there for all neighbors in need. Birthday cards ($1/year-when that was real money to a kid), attending as well as planning reunions, luncheons, life events and block parties, she was always ready to bring out her guitar and lead a sing a-long.

She is survived by her six children: Therese, Jeanne (Robert) Lewis, Peg (Ruffin Slater), Annie (Jeff) Simon, Thomas E. (Suzie) Nolan, Jr., and Arthur M. (Susan) Nolan; and five grandchildren: Robyn Lewis, Jeff Simon, Dan Simon, Thomas E. Nolan III and John Patrick Nolan. She is also survived by a favorite cousin Carolyn Smith Seng and many nieces, nephews and cousins’ kids.

She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas (Tom) and by one grandson, Michael Lewis. Her parents were Frank E. Smith and Mary (Cremin) Smith. She had two older siblings. They and their spouses predeceased her - Marikaye (Charles) Robers and Frank E. (Jeanne) Smith.  She outlived many close friends, neighbors, and cousins. 

Jeanne’s life was lived on Chicago’s north side in Edgewater and Rogers Park. First in St. Ita’s Parish where her parents were married, where she was baptized, attended elementary school, married and where her older children were baptized. The family then moved to St. Ignatius Parish where her younger children were baptized and all went through elementary school (8th grade classes of ’66, ‘69,’70, ’71, ’73 and ’81.) With her sister-in-law Mimi Nolan and other Nolan cousins, the combo “Nolan Family Singers” opened maybe the first regular guitar Mass at St. Ignatius.  Later the family moved back to St. Ita’s, after their three older children were out of the house, and joined her widowed mother in the same house she’d grown up in and where she later died.

In childhood, she was a scamp and a tomboy.  Always physically active, in adolescence she took Spanish Dancing from Rita Hayworth’s brother, a local dance instructor at that time.  She took horseback riding lessons when people were allowed to ride on trails along the Lakefront. She was a wonderful athlete, scholar and class officer in high school at Immaculata (Class of 1944) and Mundelein College (Class of 1948). 

After graduation, she taught Math at Alvernia High School for three years from 1948-1951.  Hired to teach Math; they noticed her athletic record and leadership, so she was additionally recruited to be the coach with the school paying for the additional night classes to finish her accreditation in Phys. Ed.  Her last year, she finally was able to teach Chemistry which was her dream. 

About the time of her college graduation, her brother, Frank, brought a classmate from Northwestern home.  A few years later, she married that classmate, Tom Nolan. They were married for 60 years, until his death. She spent the first 20 years of their marriage raising 6 children with an age range of 15 years.  Then, with her youngest in kindergarten, she returned to teaching and taught elementary school Phys. Ed. part-time at St. Gertrude’s Parish school for about 20 years. Throughout life she self-identified herself as “a teacher.” 

But it was hard to miss her vitality.  Until her mid-80s, she played tennis with other seniors in mixed doubles at Touhy Tennis. Once she tore her rotator cuff, but she proudly noted that she was going for and hit the game point. She kept a postcard that read, “Life is a game. Make every move count, sometimes it’s the game”.

After retirement, she and her husband made trips to Ireland and Spain as well as a couple of trips with her sister and brother-in law, the Robers, to Hawaii. 

Jeanne was known to many as the "Snickers" lady as she would pass out Snickers to everyone who wanted one, lollipops to her youngest friends.

Although she suffered from dementia in her later years, she could joke about it.  Once, while at her morning toilette after brushing her teeth, she looked up at her daughter and said “Knock-Knock.” “Who’s there,” was, of course, the response. She took a big brown-eyed pause and said, “I don’t know.” And if you asked her how she was doing she would say “Alive and kicking, mostly kicking.”

She was brave, she was loyal, she was funny, she loved people and she helped them to her utmost. Quick to laugh, her hugs and kisses were like no other.

Services are through Drake Funeral Home and will be held at St. Ita’s Church, 5500 Broadway, on March 8th. Visitation in the back of the Church from 10am until Mass begins at Noon. 

In lieu of flowers please make donations to Misericordia 6300 North Ridge, Chicago IL 60660 in her name. Our gratitude to all the staff at Unity Hospice for their caring assistance and support in Mom’s last year.