Jill Laura Washburn, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, and sister, passed away in a tragic fall on April 13, 2024, leaving a void her family cannot fill, but who will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her. She lived a vibrant life, but still had so much ahead of her and was taken far too soon.
Jill was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on July 13, 1958. Jill attended Central High School in Kalamazoo before graduating with a degree in dietetics from Michigan State University. She then moved to Houston in 1980 for an internship in dietetics at Texas Woman’s University and received a Master of Science degree there. Later in life, she obtained an MBA in healthcare administration from Houston Baptist University. Even later in life, she became certified as a paramedic through a program at Houston Community College.
Jill’s career began as a dietician at Jefferson Davis Hospital in Houston before being promoted to Director of the Food Service and Materials Management departments at Jefferson Davis Hospital and Park Plaza Hospital. After moving to ARA Living Centers (a provider of skilled nursing homes) as a dietetics consultant, she returned to hospital administration at Twelve Oaks Hospital in Houston. Following some time to raise a family, she became a volunteer paramedic at Bellaire Fire Department.
Jill was preceded in death by her father, Robert Haithwaite, and her stepfather, Basil Morris. She is survived by her mother, Jean Morris, her husband, David Washburn, her children, Sarah Washburn and Sebastian Washburn and Sebastian’s wife Shannon Washburn, three grandchildren, BQ, Maggie, and Owen, her sister and brother-in-law, Linda Smith and John Smith, her aunt, Joan Juul, and her cousins, Kitty Juul, Bonnie Juul, and Deb Zitur. They will never forget the love she brought to their lives.
Jill is also survived by her many, many friends who will miss her dearly, and by her canine family members, Thunder and Kilo. Jill was preceded in death by her beloved Lonnie, Jackson, Madison, Barkley, Hunter, and Chloe.
Jill and David met on Valentine’s Day in 1988 at a Hash House Harriers event. David was immediately captivated by her effervescence and spunk. They were engaged on Valentine’s Day in 1989, and married on October 21, 1989.
Jill’s entire life was dedicated to service, not just in her philosophy of life or her careers, but through action in her everyday life. Most notably this included fostering, adopting, and otherwise rescuing dogs, and serving as a foster parent for young children. But it was also manifested in many other ways, such as working several straight days at the Astrodome to help folks who had been evacuated from New Orleans in the wake of the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina, housing for free a victim of Hurricane Katrina for several months in her home, and working for months to help save the many pets that became homeless as a result of Hurricane Harvey. She set a standard for selflessness that few of us could even hope to obtain.
Some of Jill’s best memories were of the summer she worked at Mackinac Island while at Michigan State, and the gentle lapping of waves at her grandmother’s cottage in Linwood on Saginaw Bay in Michigan. This led to her quest for a second home in Michigan on a lake, preferably not too far from Mackinac Island. After numerous trips by Jill and David searching for such a place, she was finally able to fulfill that dream last year when they purchased a cottage on Lake Huron near Cheboygan, Michigan. She loved the time they were able to spend there in September and October of last year, and for her the reality turned out to be even better than her dreams. Unfortunately, the living of that dream turned out to be far too short.
There will be a joyful Celebration of Life at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home located at 4525 Bissonnet, Bellaire, Texas, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on Friday, May 17.
Donations to Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue, https://www.ghgsdr.org/, in her name are appreciated.
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