Jean Frances Masterson

November 7, 1933 – December 9, 2020

Jean Frances (Heinz) Masterson passed away on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 87. Jean was born on November 7, 1933, in Evanston, Illinois to Vincent and Dorothy (Jackson) Heinz, the eldest of three daughters. She took her position in the family seriously by protecting her sisters, never letting them play on playground equipment before she tested it herself, always walking closest to the street, and protecting them from neighborhood bullies. Her parents divorced and her mother remarried William Mead. The family moved to Galesburg, Illinois when Jean was 16 years old where she met her future husband, Kenneth E. Masterson. Ken enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school and they became husband and wife on February 7, 1953. They experienced seven duty stations together until his retirement in 1972.

Much of Ken’s military career was during wartime and necessitated his being away from the family for extended periods of time. Jean cheerfully kept the household together while he was overseas, raising their family and taking care of household chores that traditionally fell on the husband’s shoulders without letting him know of her struggles. In 1963, she began working full time outside the home, first at Circle K in Tucson and became the first woman manager for them in the state. She continued to work outside the home, in addition to caring for her family, in various occupations ending as a federal employee for the Department of Defense working with the Air Force battle plans.

Jean enjoyed sewing and made all her own clothes as well as her children’s clothes. She made friends wherever she went, even standing in line at the grocery store to her daughter’s chagrin. She loved us all unconditionally. She encouraged us to follow our dreams and held us up when our dreams were dashed. She always let us make our own mistakes and never said “I told you so.” She was a sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, neighbor, friend, protector, and more. She loved our Lord and demonstrated that love to everyone around her every day. She was generous and gave when she could. She was a loving and selfless person who will be missed deeply by many.

Jean is survived by sisters Dorothy Janice Flanders of Florida and Kathy (Alan) Gleason of Kansas; daughters Sherri (Thomas) Hessick and Sandra Masterson of Tucson, and Sheila (Bob Grannes) Gilmore of Phoenix; daughter-in-law Amy (Michael) Masterson of St. Louis, Missouri; ten grandchildren: Angela (Aaron) Masterson, Rachel (Isaac) Flater, Tara (Steven) Spragg, Kristen Gilmore, Brianna (John) Chapman, Jennalyn Gilmore, Sonya Masterson, Carena (Matthew) Dill, Michael Masterson, and Adam Bianchi; thirteen precious great-grandchildren; and more nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends than we can count. She was predeceased by her husband Kenneth E. Masterson; sons Marc A. Masterson and Michael D. Masterson; grandson Thomas A. Hessick; and sister Patricia Homan.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, Jean’s funeral mass is limited, and attendees are requested to take a Covid test prior to attending to ensure the health and safety of everyone.

Jean was a champion of single mothers and women suffering domestic abuse. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse at

https://emergecenter.org/give/donate/.