Jean Theisen

Jean, our Mom and Grammy, passed away at age 90 ½ on January 2, 2015. Her wishes and hopes were met to stay in her own home until 1 ½ days before she left us as a result of a fall. She hoped that her three children would be with her and we were. As she would say, she had all of her marbles up until the fall and she died with dignity.

Jean was a proud native Californian who was born in Long Beach on July 16, 1924 to Willard Dearborn and Lulu May Zeller Crandall. Jean attended San Jose State University (Go Spartans!) during WWII where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Sigma Sorority, later Delta Gamma. Jean was a Home Economics major and had a wonderful college experience in spite of the War -- e.g. stories of saving meat ration stamps to cook a meal for a special fellow, black-out curtains on the coast, and losing dear Friends.

During college, Jean had a good friend from Monterey and she spent many weekends at her family’s house. She fell in love with the Monterey Peninsula and fell in love with our Dad, an OCS Naval Candidate stationed at the present day Naval Postgraduate School. They married on September 1, 1946, a few weeks after Mom’s college graduation.

Their early married life was spent in New Jersey where Dad was from and in 7 years there, they welcomed two sons into their life. Dad was sold on sunny California and Mom was thrilled to return to Southern Cal where their daughter was born. Homes in Downey and Palos Verdes Estates were where the 3 kids were raised. After divorce many years later, Mom made the bold decision to pull up roots and move to Pebble Beach on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula she loved since 1942. Mom bought a beautiful new home and brought her only children at home, Patches, the dog and the cats, Heshe, and Rebel. Mom began a wonderful independent life where she traveled the world and more of the U.S. As a lifelong lover of wildlife, lost and injured pets and nature, she volunteered and enjoyed becoming a Volunteer Emeritus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for nearly 20 years. She was fully engaged in P.E.O., D.A.R. and the American Cetacean Society, San Jose State Alumni Association, among others. Any friend, human or animal that needed her help, she gave it.

Jean forever leaves a legacy with her children: Mark Alan Theisen (wife Denise); Roger Lee Theisen (wife Jacqueline); Nancy Jean Theisen Bennett (husband Bob) and her grandson, John Crandall Bennett and his wife Sadie. She loved her children’s and grandson’s spouses like her own.

Mom is now in Heaven with her parents and sister Shirley and her Great Aunt Nonny and has the forever love of her dogs: Spotty, Patches, and her precious Lady who is running down the beach at Spanish Bay chasing tennis balls thrown by Mom. Her precious rescued cats – Rebel, Heshe, Chessie, Big Orange, Callie and Tuxey are purring away.

Our family wants to thank the neighbors, friends and caregivers who were invaluable in the love and care that kept her in her home. Thank you to Jim & Izzy, Donnie, Vilma and Loretta. We can never thank you enough.

Per Mom’s wishes, there will be no memorial service. Her remains will be scattered, as she wished, in the Pacific Ocean, at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve by all of her family. We would ask for no flowers but if you wish to make contributions, your charity of choice or her group that she helped to establish:

Tower Foundation-Circle of Friends

San Jose State University

Department of Nutrition & Food Science

One Washington Square

San Jose, CA 95192-0058

Attention: Caroline Haas, Director

(408) 924-3100