Jean McPherson Wayne, age 100, of Wilmington, Delaware, met her Lord and Savior on Sunday, September 3, 2017.
Jean was born in Chicago and grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, and Coronado, California. She graduated from Highland Park High School and then earned a BS degree at the University of Illinois and a Master’s degree in Dietetics at the University of Wisconsin. She worked at the Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children and Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis for short periods of time but was most importantly a wife, mother, and homemaker.
She advocated for and helped others through projects and positions she held at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church where she was a member and as a member of Church Women United, the League of Women Voters, and the Delaware Mental Health Association.
Jean was an excellent cook and liked to host friends for lunch or dinner. She sewed and did needlework. She was an avid reader and tried her hand at writing. She played bridge, Scrabble, solitaire (Kings in the Corner.) In addition, she enjoyed traveling: family camping vacations to U.S. National Parks, visiting relatives in Illinois and family in Kansas, and with Winston later in life.
Jean spent her final seven years in the assisted living unit at Shipley Manor and the affection, care, and kindness she received from the staff are appreciated.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 73 years, Winston J. Wayne; a daughter, Leslie Wayne Loftus; an older sister, Barbara McPherson Sanders; and a younger brother, Alexander Grant McPherson.
She is survived by a daughter, Susan Wayne of Springfield, Ohio; a grandson, Andrew Wayne Loftus of Aurora, Colorado; a granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Loftus of Plano, Texas; a son-in-law, Charles Loftus of Overland Park, Kansas; one nephew, Charles L. Sanders; and three nieces, Elizabeth McPherson Howard, Janie Fort and Nancy Sanders Foote.
Those wishing to do so, may send a contribution to WHYY (Channel 12), the Delaware Mental Health Association, or a charity of their own choosing.
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