Jean Marie (McLean) Conners, of Norton, (formerly of Mansfield, Foxboro, and North Falmouth) passed away peacefully on December 17th from effects of a glioblastoma. Since her diagnosis in early September, Jean faced her health challenges with courage, strength, resilience, and her ever constant kindness and positivity towards her family, friends, and caregivers. Her ability to smile everyday throughout her illness amazed her family and endeared her to the health care workers who treated her every day.
It is fitting that Jean entered the gates of Heaven during the Christmas season. Christmas is a time where kindness, generosity, compassion, joy, family, and faith are celebrated and embraced. These are the same qualities that Jean lived by daily and throughout her life.
Jean was born in Boston and moved to Hyde Park at age 8, where she met the love of her life, John, who lived across the street. Jean and John grew up together playing with the neighborhood kids, who continue to be some of their oldest and dearest friends. As Jean and John grew older, childhood friendship blossomed into teenage love and as they say, the rest is history.
Jean graduated from Hyde Park High School and Holy Ghost Nursing School. She spent the majority of her nursing career at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Jean and John married in 1968 and moved to Mansfield shortly thereafter, where all three of their children were born: Jim, Michael, and Colleen. Jean cherished the 12 years she spent in Mansfield forming wonderful friendships with her neighbors and watching all of their children grow up together. Over the years, these friends truly turned into family. Jean and John spent the next 20+ years in Foxboro, where they again formed close friendships with wonderful people. Jean has enjoyed traveling, going to shows, and regular morning coffee dates with the ladies over the past 30 years.
Jean was a devoted mother and the loving backbone of her family – always gently guiding her children with unconditional love through their individual and collective life journeys. She was a true role model for them in kindness, compassion, generosity, and a life well-lived. Jean was blessed with a beautiful and gentle soul and showed her love to those around her by always offering a kind word, a thoughtful note, or support and encouragement through life’s many twists and turns.
The greatest joy in Jean’s life were her grandchildren: Caroline, Michael, Reagan and Erin. Jean relished the title of “Nana” and was truly one of the most loving, kind, gentle, and caring grandmothers one could have. From the time they were born to their teenage years, Jean was a constant and supportive presence in their lives cheering them on during countless sports games, dance recitals, school plays and special events, and piano recitals. She was their biggest fan and was so proud of each of them in all of their endeavors.
Jean’s favorite places on earth were the Cape and Ireland. Jean spent her summers in North Falmouth and loved having her home happily filled with her children, grandchildren, and many friends each summer. Jean also loved the music, dancing, and beauty of Ireland dearly and enjoyed many memorable family trips to Ireland over the years. Jean also loved to travel, decorate, watch home and cooking shows, take walks by the ocean, and in her younger days, ski and golf.
Jean leaves behind her loving and adoring husband of 55 years, John, and her devoted sons Jim and his wife Breanne of Attleboro, Michael and his wife Maureen of Walpole, and her cherished daughter Colleen Peters and her late Husband Dennis Peters of North Attleboro; her beloved four grandchildren Caroline, Michael, Reagan and Erin; and her dear brother Edward McLean of Raynham. Jean was predeceased by her parents Edward and Evelyn (O’Brien) McLean, her brother John McLean, and her son-in-law Dennis Peters.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visiting hours on Thursday, December 28th from 5:00-8:00 P.M. at the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home, 55 North Main Street, Mansfield.
Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, December 29th at 11:00 A.M. in Saint Mary’s Church, 330 Pratt Street (Route 106) Mansfield. Burial will follow at Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Foxboro.
For those wishing to honor Jean, donations can be made to An Orphan’s Dream, www.anorphansdream.org, which supports the Oasis of Peace orphanage in Gachoka, Kenya.
To send her family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com