Jean lived in Oregon for nearly 40 years. She attended South Eugene High School and graduated from Junction City High School. In 1962 she married Ronald Gard, and they had two children, Tracy and Jeff. She worked at First Interstate Bank until 1981, when the family moved to Tallahassee, FL. In 1982 her husband died, leaving her to raise two teenagers. As a widow, she pursued her dreams and accomplished a great deal. She returned to Oregon to be closer to her family, went back to school to earn a real estate license, bought a new car, and traveled to Hawaii and Mexico.
In 1985 she returned to Tallahassee, FL and worked in real estate before transitioning to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, where she retired in 1997. In 1988 she married Lauren Ewing and expanded her family to include two stepdaughters, Shannon and Meredith. She and Lauren were constant companions. They enjoyed going to the gym, gardening, dancing, canoeing, participating in Springtime Tallahassee, and trips to visit family. Jean was a life-long painter and crafts maker. Her home always included her own works of macramé, terrariums, stained glass designs, or paintings on wood, canvas, and rock. Family and friends remember her infectious laugh, her habit of making up words to replace words she couldn’t recall, and her ability to laugh at herself. Her children remember her for the strength and courage she showed during the hard times.
Jean is preceded in death by her sisters, Joyce Yorozu and Karon Morgan, and her parents, Casey Perry and Louise Horsell. She is survived by her husband, Lauren Ewing of Tallahassee, FL; daughter, Tracy Gard of Brooklyn, NY; son, Jeff Gard of San Francisco, CA; two stepdaughters, Shannon Sauls and Meredith Ewing, both of Tallahassee, FL; two grandchildren, and her stepfather, Arthur Horsell of Redmond OR.
Graveside service will be held in Tallahassee on September 19, 2020 at 11AM at Cully’s Meadow Wood Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 700 Timberlake Road.
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