Jean Mary Calkins was born Jan. 10, 1931, to Theodore ("Ted") and Mary Childs and was raised by them in Sinclairville, N.Y. She is survived by an older brother, Rodger Childs, and two younger sisters, Wilma Abbott and Shirley Kerr.
Jean married Donald F. Calkins in August 1950, who died of natural causes in 1996 after 46 years of marriage. She gave birth to two children, Mark Calkins and Bonnie (Calkins) Rounds. Mark and his wife, Diane, gave Jean three grandchildren, Johnathon, Julie and Danielle. Bonnie and her husband, Randy, gave her two grandchildren, Samantha and Daniel. She was also given three great-grandchildren: Zoe, now 4 years old, through Johnathon; Sarah, now 12 years old, through Samantha; and Arielle, now 7 months old, through Daniel. She also is survived by many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, all of whom she loved very much.
A stay-at-home mom, Jean was extremely active in the lives of her children as they were growing up, and also became a Girl Scout mom, then a 4-H leader. Once the children were grown, Jean worked many years outside the home, first in the flower department of Super Duper, then as a home healthcare assistant. She was an avid gardener, and especially loved wild flowers. Her dream was to transform her woodland home on West Oak Hill Road to a walk garden, with a stone path through the woods behind her house. She saved many wild flowers for this purpose, but her health failed before her dream could be realized. For many years, Jean was an active member of the Fluvanna Community Church as well as the Sinclairville Garden Club, until December 2006 when she relocated to Las Vegas, Nev., to live with her daughter and husband, Bonnie and Randy, due to health reasons. She lived with Bonnie and Randy until her final six months of life, when her daily care required continual professional assistance.
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Jean Mary Calkins
Jean passed away Dec. 9, 2011. She will be missed by all who knew her.
There will be a memorial service for Jean at the Fluvanna Community Church on Saturday, June 23, 2012, at 4 p.m., with a fellowship immediately following. Food will be provided by the Fluvanna Community Church's Ladies Aide Committee.