Jeanne (Williamson) Horan, 1942-2014
Jeanne Levering (Williamson) Horan, of Marshfield, passed peacefully on April 17, 2014, surrounded by her loving family. She was 71.
At the age of 56, Jeanne was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Her doctor told her she’d be lucky to survive two more years. But with her usual determination, she beat those odds and met the hardships of her disease head-on. She lived with COPD for 15 years, all the while maintaining an active schedule of volunteerism, spending time with family and friends, rooting for her favorite sports teams, and making an annual wintertime pilgrimage to Aruba.
Born and raised in Brockton, Jeanne had an aptitude for figures and a talent for managing the intricacies of long-range planning. She graduated from Brockton High School in 1960 and from the Chandler School for Women in 1962. Over a period of 12 years, she pursued a degree in long-range planning from Boston University—attending classes in the evenings, and working at the university during the day. Over the years, she served as secretary to directors, vice presidents, and deans in BU’s School of Education, Sargent College, and Metropolitan College, among others. She graduated from BU in 1974 with a degree in long-range planning.
In 1969, she married Timothy W. Horan, and they decided to move to Marshfield because of Jeanne’s fond memories of summer day trips to the beach, Johnson’s A&W Drive-In, the roller-skating rink, and more.
Following the births of their three children, Jeanne turned her attention to the community of Marshfield, and joined the Newcomers Club, eventually becoming its vice president. In 1979, she was elected to the Town of Marshfield’s Planning Board and served in this capacity for 10 years.
In 1980, the North River Arts Society (NRAS) in Marshfield Hills invited her to join their board of directors, as secretary, then treasurer, and ultimately president of the organization for eight years. Among her countless contributions to NRAS, Jeanne co-chaired the organization’s largest event, the annual Festival of the Arts, for 25 years.
In 1982, she was appointed to the Ventress Memorial Library Board of Trustees, and joined both the Library Building Committee and the Library Fundraising Committee. Her commitment to this project supported the construction of a brand-new library for the citizens of Marshfield. She even participated in the “Book Brigade” effort to transport library books, by foot, from the old building to the new.
Throughout the ’80s, Jeanne became actively involved in town politics, managing the campaigns of numerous Selectmen candidates. Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, she took on a mentorship role as a Marshfield troop leader for Girl Scouts of America. She also volunteered for Marshfield Friends of Music, the Historic Winslow House, and the town’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Committee, among many others.
In recognition of her efforts, the Marshfield Chamber of Commerce honored Jeanne as the 1989 Marshfield Citizen of the Year. She was the first woman to receive this award. The Ventress Library has planned to rename its art gallery space in her honor.
In addition to all of these extraordinary accomplishments, Jeanne is known by her family, friends, colleagues, and the community as a woman who could be counted on to offer leadership and mentorship; ideas and wisdom; emotional support and friendship; and generosity of time, energy, and spirit. She will be remembered as a tireless, dedicated volunteer and advocate; a loving and proud wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother; an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics; a prolific reader and book-sharer; a caring friend and trusted confidante; an accomplished knitter; and an Aruba enthusiast.
Jeanne leaves her husband Tim Horan of Marshfield; her children, Jennifer (Horan) McInerney and her husband, Kevin, of Marshfield; Tim Horan and his wife, Christine, of Northborough; Jessica (Horan) Fairbanks and her husband, Adam, of Marshfield; her granddaughters Jillian Mary McInerney and Ava Rose Horan; and her grandson TJ Horan. She was the daughter of the late John “Jack” Williamson and Mary (Levering) Williamson, of Brockton, and the sister of Ruth (Williamson) LaBonte and her husband, Bill, of Bridgewater, and Peter Williamson and his wife, Ellen, of Hudson. She was sister-in-law to Marilyn (Horan) Ulizio and her husband, Lou, of Wallingford, Conn. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews and cousins, and her aunt Jessie (Williamson) Wallace, of Randolph.
Visiting hours will be held in the MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean St., Rte. 139 in Marshfield on Tuesday, April 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. A funeral service will be held in the North Community Church, 72 Old Main St. in Marshfield at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be held in Couch Cemetery.
Donations can be made in Jeanne’s memory to any of her three favorite local organizations: North River Arts Society (www.northriverarts.org), Ventress Memorial Library (www.ventresslibrary.org), or the Winslow House (www.winslowhouse.org).