Jeanne Marie Robben

Jeanne was the beloved daughter of her late mother, Frances (Craig) Handshy; dearest wife of the late Michael (Mick) Robben; much loved mother of Cynthia Robben Welling (Chris), Justin (Heather) Robben and Todd (Nicole) Robben; the devoted and loving “Maw-Maw” to Cynthia and Chris' daughter Vivien, age 9, Justin and Heather's children Dayton, 23, Mikayla, 15, Gage, 13, and Isabella, 7, and Todd and Nicole's children, Emery, 10, Capri, 9, and Otto, 7. She is survived by her dear brother Paul Handshy and dear sister Susan Handshy, and preceded in death by dear sisters Donna (Handshy) Hose (John) and Kathleen Handshy. Jeanne was loved and admired by many nieces, nephews, cousins, Godchildren, family and friends.

Jeanne attended Roosevelt High School and graduated in the Class of 1964. After high school, she began working at Monsanto, applying her incredible communication skills and attention to detail to publish company newsletters and reports. It was here where she began to develop her love for photography, working as a plant photographer. Showing Jeanne’s early determination to get the most out of life, Jeanne took evening classes at Washington University’s Olin School of Business in St. Louis, while also working full time at Monsanto. After working at Monsanto for more than 10 years, her family began to grow and she embraced her calling to focus her gifts on raising her children. Jeanne was passionate about developing and growing her family within the St. Mary Magdalen parish community, which enabled them to forge life-long friendships.

As Jeanne’s children aged, she sought an incredible opportunity to work for Saint Louis University (SLU), where her family could pursue higher education through the university’s tuition remission benefit. Jeanne embraced the SLU community, where she embodied the mission and values. She established a new family – her Billiken family – she was happy, fulfilled and loved her work life. While working at SLU, she built a career within Human Resources, and developed an expertise specifically in compensation management, ultimately becoming the Compensation Manager for the university. Jeanne worked at SLU for nearly 20 years and her SLU family always remained a big part of her life. Her love for SLU was contagious and her family relished the campus culture, leading her children to obtain multiple degrees. Jeanne’s youngest son, Todd, went on to build his own career at the university, currently serving as Director of Campus Recreation and Wellness, where he recently celebrated his 15th year of service.

Jeanne was a HUGE sports fanatic! Her passion for sports started at an early age while listening to ballgames on the radio and grew as she watched her children engage in organized sports. She proudly cheered for them on and off the field/court. She loved the SLU Billikens, attending so many of their sporting events over the years, especially Men’s Billiken Basketball! Her contagious fandom passed to her children, where she brought two of her many loves together – her children and sports. She was crazy for her St. Louis Cardinals, with games constantly playing in the background throughout her life while she worked through her endless supply of “papers”. Jeanne was also a huge St. Louis Rams fan even becoming a member of their Quarterback Club. Jeanne celebrated their wins and commiserated their losses. She was devastated when her team was moved. She enjoyed watching and analyzing all sports with her siblings and could often be heard voicing her opinions through the television.

Jeanne was initiated into the Delta Phi Chapter of Phi Tau Omega Sorority February 25, 1977, and remained a very active member until her final days. She held all chapter offices throughout her many years of service. Her attention to detail and creative writing earned her the honor of “Scribe of the Year” in 1981-82 and again in 2008-09. Most recently, Jeanne was so proud to hold the National Office of Scribe in 2022-23. Jeanne received many accolades from her sorority sisters for taking on the difficult task of moving the organization's National publication, Ramblings, from a printed quarterly hardcopy publication to electronic. She loved her sorority and was so happy when her Chapter earned “Chapter of the Year” this past year.

A visitation will be held Friday, November 15th, 2024, from 3-8 pm at Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary, located at 6464 Chippewa Street 63109. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, November 16th, 2024, at 10 am at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church (city) on South Kingshighway located at 4924 Bancroft, 63109. Interment Resurrection Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jeanne's memory to the Phi Tau Omega Sorority would be greatly appreciated by Cynthia, Justin and Todd. Please mail your donations by check, referencing Jeanne Robben's memory, to the following:

Phi Tau Omega Sorority - Philanthropic, c/o Amber Franklin, National Sgt. at Arms, 507 E. Monroe Street, Pittsburg KS 66762

Jeanne's family encourages you to leave a favorite memory of her to cherish at the "Add a Memory" link below.