Jeanne Louise Hasty

Born on February 13, 1929, to Lawrence and Louise Busch Knittle, Jeanne grew up in Washington, D.C., where she delighted in having the nation's capital as her playground. She fondly recalled climbing the Washington Monument, attending Easter Egg Rolls at the White House, sledding on Capitol Hill, and spending countless hours exploring the Smithsonian museums, whose exhibits she could still identify floor by floor decades later.

In 1948, Jeanne married the love of her life, Richard Hasty, a U.S. Marine. Together they took the biblical instruction to "be fruitful and multiply" very seriously. Their marriage produced twelve children—seven girls and five boys—whom they affectionately called their "Dirty Dozen." Jeanne embraced motherhood wholeheartedly, navigating the sleepless nights, endless chaos, laughter, celebrations, exhaustion, and immeasurable joy that came with raising such a large family. One of her favorite stories involved traveling alone in 1955 with five children under the age of six, seven months pregnant with another, on a 72-hour journey to Okinawa.

The family spent most of their years in Northern Virginia, but Richard's work also took them to Okinawa, California, Florida, and England. Jeanne embraced every adventure and later remembered those years among the happiest of her life. As the family grew to include grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she delighted in following their lives and celebrating their accomplishments.

Music was at the heart of the Hasty family. Richard played guitar, Jeanne sang harmony alongside him, and their children joined in for countless family sing-alongs. When her kids and grandkids began performing, Jeanne rarely missed a play, recital, concert, open mic night, or solo performance, always securing a front-row seat and staying until the very end. In her final days, children and grandchildren gathered at her bedside to sing those cherished songs one last time.

Jeanne lived her entire life with severe visual impairment and was never able to drive, yet she somehow remembered directions to every place she had ever been. She was a devoted fan of the Washington Nationals and the football team she still called the Redskins. When she eventually lost her sight completely and much of her hearing, she found joy in audiobooks. She proudly claimed to have "read" more than 15,000 books in her later years. Despite life's challenges, Jeanne never lost her sense of humor, her resilience, or her appreciation for a good meal—and certainly never missed dessert.

One of Jeanne's lifelong wishes was to donate her eyes for research after her death. It brought her great comfort to know that this wish would be fulfilled.

Left to cherish Jeanne’s memory are her children: Michael Hasty; Patricia Carswell; Josie Haaga (Matt); Beth Mann; Kathy Rogers (Skip); Dennis Hasty (Dirk Alphin); Ken Hasty; Cecelia Gaegler (Fran); Russ Hasty; Marji Moffatt; and Steve Hasty. She also leaves behind 28 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, all of whom brought her immense pride and joy throughout her life.

Waiting to welcome Jeanne home are her husband, Richard; her daughter, Theresa Anne; her brother and sister-in-law, Jerry and Delores Knittle; her son-in-law, William Carswell; and her

precious great-grandson, Alex Carswell. Theresa Anne's ashes will accompany Jeanne on her final journey.

While we will miss her deeply, we find comfort in imagining Jeanne in a place where she can once again see every brilliant color, watch every game, and clearly see the faces of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Those faces will be looking back at her with endless love and gratitude.

Until we meet again, Mom. Sing loud, laugh often, dance with wild abandon, and save us a seat in the front row. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Hospice of Piedmont (hopva.org) or Eye Bank Association of America (restoresight.org).

A viewing for Jeanne will be held on Tuesday, June 9, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. at Clore-English Funeral Home (11190 James Monroe Highway, Culpeper, VA). Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, June 10, at 12:00 p.m. at Culpeper National Cemetery (305 U.S. Avenue, Culpeper, VA).