Jeannette Kansal

Jeannette was born July 3, 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Thomas and Mildred Burns. She grew up in Cincinnati, where she was always at the top of her class, winning a scholarship to nursing school there. She met her first husband, David Latimore, started a family and moved to Phoenix, then moved to Paris in the 60's. She handled everything from language barriers to driving the streets of Paris with 5 kids in tow and soon wrote a guide for fellow expats living there.

Jeannette returned to the Phoenix area and married Rakesh Kansal, an engineer she had met at a class she took with her two sisters. She and Rocky moved to California, had a child together and eventually moved back to Phoenix where most of her extended family lived, and where she focused on her life as a mother, sister, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Jeannette always had a love of antiquing and "junking" with family members, and was a real treasure hunter who could always find just the item you wanted-- a visitor never left her home empty handed! She spent many hours reading and watching her favorite murder mysteries, was a whiz at crosswords and always enjoyed laughing with loved ones.

Jeannette's greatest joys were her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She couldn't wait to hear the stories, see the photos and videos and give the hugs-- her home was filled with pictures of all of them.

Jeannette is survived by her children, Stephen Latimore (Debra), Barbara Fleming (Terry), Diana Latimore (Marge Ray), Joseph Latimore, Jennifer Latimore and Anjali Kansal-Rill (Brent Rill), nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and her brothers, Anthony Burns (Brenda) and Timothy Burns (Kerry). She was predeceased by her husband, Rakesh, her sisters Joan Selby and Diana Ligocki and two grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be held on Monday, March 3 at 12:30 pm at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 10815 N. 84th St., Scottsdale, AZ. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Mary’s Food Bank or the Phoenix Rescue Mission.