CUMBERLAND- Jean White, 89, of Cumberland, passed away peacefully, with her family by her side, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough on July 20, 2022. She was born on March 1, 1933 in Peabody, Mass. and was the daughter of the late Chester and Helen (Martilla) Dzierzanowski.
She attended St. John’s Grammar School and Peabody High School. A dedicated student with exquisite penmanship, Jean received special recognition at graduation for having achieved perfect school attendance for all 12 years. Maybe that’s why she was voted “most dependable” by her fellow classmates. Jean was also an honor student, class officer, head drum majorette and first-string player on the 1950 championship girls’ basketball team.
After high school, Jean attended the Massachusetts School of Banking and was employed at the Peabody Cooperative Bank. She transferred to the Danvers Savings Bank where she was head teller and became licensed to sell life insurance. She was later recruited by the Ipswich Savings Bank to be Branch Manager of their Rowley location. She eventually changed careers and was the customer service manager at Container Corporation of America in Wakefield, remaining there until retirement.
Jean married her high school sweetheart, Everett, and the two were together for 69 years. They made their home in Topsfield, Mass. where they raised their daughters and enjoyed many neighborhood friendships. After retirement, they moved to Cumberland to be closer to family and began traveling extensively in their motor coach. Jean was Vice President of the Monaco Northeast Explorers in charge of membership. Her favorite destination was Prince Edward Island. She always enjoyed an annual excursion to Tanglewood with her banking friends and embraced the fullness of life.
Jean was a breast cancer survivor and became a long-time volunteer at the Maine Medical Breast Cancer Center in Scarborough, where she counseled and reassured new patients. She was extremely proud of the accomplishments of her two daughters and two grandchildren, among them a university art professor, a marketing analyst, an art appraiser and a medical student.
She was predeceased by her brothers Chester and Ronald. Jean is survived by her husband Everett; her daughters Max and Debra; her grandchildren Chloe and Wyatt Kilburn; dear friend Diane Fredericks; sister-in-law Marcie Dzierzanowski; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Church services and burial of ashes in Topsfield, Mass. will be announced at a later date. The family wishes to thank the home visiting nurses and wonderful staff at Hospice of Southern Maine and especially, the nurses and volunteers at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House where Jean and her family were provided with exceptional care. Thank you all.
In memory of Jean,
donations may be made to:
Gosnell Hospice House
11 Hunnewell Rd.
Scarborough, ME 04074 and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (www.komen.org)