Jean Abbott

Jean Abbott, 100, of Jefferson, passed away on December 17 after a brief illness.  

Jean was the daughter of Stanley and Alice (Anderson) Thompson and was born on September 24, 1913 on a farm near Yale, Iowa.   She was the proud owner of a Century Farm in Greene County.

She graduated from Yale High School and went on to graduate from Grinnell College in 1935. After college, she taught high school mathematics in Milford and Clarinda. On November 9, 1941 she married Robert Lewis Abbott of Clarinda. Robert was a Naval officer and the family followed him in his assignments in Washington, D.C.; the Philippines; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and New Jersey, among other places.  Jean resumed teaching math while they lived in Guantanamo Bay and New Jersey.  After her husband’s death in 1982, Jean continued to live in Medford Lakes, N.J., until she moved to Ever Greene Ridge in Jefferson in 2008.

Although spending time with her family came first, Jean loved traveling the world above any other activity.  She also enjoyed needlework, garden club, Questers, and the countless teachers and students who enriched her life while teaching.

Jean is survived by her three children and their spouses, Judith Ann Abbott (T. Austin Campbell) of Highland, MD; Robert James Abbott (Marcia) of San Diego, CA, and Thomas Lewis Abbott (Hermine) of Marietta, GA; and by six grandchildren: Sarah Knight, Peter Abbott, Courtney Abbott, Elizabeth Dixon, Kathryn Abbott, and Michael Abbott and by 4 great-grandchildren.

Memorials are suggested for the Greene County Medical Center Foundation or Grinnell College and may be sent to the Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home, PO Box 108, Jefferson, IA 50129; 515-386-2171, www.sliningerrossowfuneralhome.com