Jean Ellen Hein

Jean Ellen (Springer) Hein entered eternal life on May 15, 2016, 6 days after celebrating her 80th birthday with her beloved family. Jean was born May 9, 1936 to Clement Laird Springer and Emma (High) Springer, and was raised in the small town of New Washington, Ohio surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends and lots of music. She started piano lessons in the 3rd grade and never stopped sharing her talent to enrich the lives of others. Jean played with her father’s dance band, accompanied her high school operettas, sang and played piano and hand bells in her church choirs, accompanied children and grandchildren at contests, and just last month led sing-a-longs at the Renaissance Independent Living community.

After high school graduation in 1954, Jean left her beloved small town to attend Capital University’s nursing program in Columbus, Ohio. It was there that she met her cherished nursing friends and the love of her life, Norman Hein. They married after graduation on August 17, 1958 and she served as a public health nurse while Norm attended seminary in Columbus, then graduate school in Minneapolis.

They served congregations, nursing homes and communities in South Dakota, Iowa, and New York. They settled in Austin July 1972, where they promptly joined Faith Lutheran Church, and she made more precious friends and choir-mates.

Jean and Norm left every place a little better than how they found it. While Norm used a hammer, Jean used the sewing machine. She learned to sew at an early age and shared her talent by making countless quilts, wall hangings, clothes, and keepsakes for her family and friends. She collected more treasured friends through her quilt bee with the Austin Quilt Guild.

A lifelong learner, Jean pursued accounting classes at Austin Community College and worked part time for Abbott Laboratories in their accounting department for 15 years.

She lovingly nursed Norm through his illness in Spring 2005, and made good on her promise to him to be a “Merry Widow.” She joined the Austin Senior Center and the Cook Walden “Lift” group and attended countless dances, dinners and shows, collecting more special friends and memories.

Jean adored her three grandchildren and loved attending their concerts, ball games and vacationing with them at the lake and beach. She enjoyed the ultimate family reunion when she danced at her granddaughter’s wedding in July 2015.

Jean is now dancing in Heaven with her loving husband of 46 years, Norman, her parents and her sister, Helen Ehrman. She is survived by her son Nathan Hein of Cedar Park, daughter Elizabeth Wysocki (Patrick) of Bastrop, grandchildren Miranda Holst (Austin), Jovian Wysocki and Orion Wysocki; her sister Phyllis Fry (Paul) of Pennsylvania, brothers- and sisters-in-law Carl and Miriam Hein of North Carolina, Gary Hein and Phyllis Hein of Wisconsin and an abundance of treasured nieces, nephews, cousins and forever-friends spread throughout the United States.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from 5:00-7:00pm in the evening, on Friday, the 20th of May 2016, at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas.

Funeral services will be conducted at 10:00am in the morning on Saturday, the 21st of May 2016, Faith Lutheran Church, 6600 Woodrow, Austin, Texas. Interment will follow in Cook-Walden Memorial Hill Cemetery, Pflugerville, Texas.

In memory of Jean’s faithful life, please contribute to Faith Lutheran Church Austin, Upbring, Hospice Austin or a charity of your choice.