Our beloved Mom
Jeanette Charlotte Shyn of Plano, Texas died on August 7, 2023 at the age of 95. She was born in 1928 to a German-Austrian family living in Belgrade before she settled in Vienna, Austria. World War II upended her and her family’s life. While just a teenager, improbable events led her to serve as a courier in the German Navy. She then attempted to retrieve her parents from captivity in a Russian concentration camp but was captured and placed in a concentration camp herself in Novi Sad. After almost two years of hard labor, she succeeded in a daring escape on foot to Vienna. Her intellect and instincts enabled her to survive and later thrive.
Jeanette, or Netta, as she was known to her family, immigrated to the United States after World War II, making Texas her new home. She enrolled in Texas Woman’s University where she soon entered the College of Nursing. Later in life, after two marriages, she completed her bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Sociology, as a top student in the program, at West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M). She was always an exceptional student whether as a child or in her adult years. She loved and studied several languages. She had a great ear and memory for music which enabled her to recall and sing countless songs from throughout her life – something which amazed her friends, even those still living in Europe.
Above all Jeanette was a loving and devoted mother to her children. Through intelligence, optimism and dedication, she raised her children to believe anything was possible. She was a loyal friend and family member. In her later years she loved taking French lessons with her “French Connection” friends and also meeting with the ladies of the Plano German Club.
Jeanette is survived by her sons Paul Bernard Shyn and Mark Edward Shyn, and by first marriage, Gerald Roland Dewberry. She is predeceased by her two brothers, Anton Preisach and Rudolf Preisach, and her parents, Johann and Luise Preisach.
The memorial service will be held privately.