Jeannine Greenwell

“Empowered women empower the world.” That was the message on the T-shirt Jeannine “Nonie” Greenwell was wearing when she passed away on November 18, 2022. She was 73. Her son, George, and granddog Frank were by her side.

Jeannine was the youngest of three, and her mother, Grace, was the guiding force throughout her childhood. Grace was a riveter during the war, a phenom in the kitchen, a practical joker, and an avid waterskier into her 70s. She was also Nonie's first model of what it meant to be an empowered woman.

When she was 15, Jeannine met Roger, her husband of 40 years. Five years later, they married, and six months after that, they had their son George. “Life’s ironies amaze me,” she once wrote in an article for the PFLAG newsletter. “I could have searched the world over for the perfect father for George, and there he was living next door to me.”

Jeannine’s most cherished roles were those of mother, godmother, and aunt. She lovingly nurtured and fiercely protected those she loved. The last sentence she spoke to her son, George, was “Don’t drive fast.” But she was more than a dedicated parent. She was an advocate for all children. Jeannine earned her nursing degree from San Diego City College and spent 30 years working in the pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Rady Children’s Hospital. One of her more exciting assignments was as a member of the Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport (CHET) Team where she occasionally traveled by helicopter to help kids who needed critical care.

The things that mattered most to Jeannine were always close at hand—a shelf of photos of the inspiring women in her family, toys for visiting children, a kitchen full of pastry equipment, fresh fruits and vegetables, incomparable homemade desserts, well-loved athletic apparel, and snapshots of her favorite four-legged friends, Frank, Axyl and Tucker. She leaves behind an incredible legacy of kindness and respect for all, laughter, advocacy, beautifully packaged cookies and caramels, inappropriate jokes, generous tipping, and a love that was easily felt by everyone around her.

Jeannine is survived by her son, George; her brother and sister, Paul and Sondra; her niece and nephew and their spouses, Amy and Chuck, Abe and Laura; great nieces and nephews, Zoie, Ollie, Austin, Maddie and Sydney; best friend/“sister wife”, Jackie; and god daughter and her husband Whitney and Troy and their treasured daughter, Spencer.

Please plan to join her family for a celebration of Jeannine in January (details to follow). If you would like to honor her memory, you may do so by enjoying a fabulous pastry or making a donation in her name. Some of the organizations she was most passionate about, include Everytown for Gun Safety and Planned Parenthood.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.merkleymitchell.com for the Greenwell family.