Jean Lee

Heaven is about to get whipped into shape.

Jean Anne Lee (nee Boyle) of Rochester, the matriarch of a large extended family with more than 75 loved ones, died on January 4, from heart disease. Jean didn't suffer, mostly because she didn't know how. Her motto: Make the best of the cards you've been dealt, and be thankful for what you have, because someone else always has it worse. What else could you do anyway? Be a sad sack? No, thank you. Not Jean Anne's style.

Jean's love language was hard work. Born Nov. 11, 1944, to Patrick and Theresa Boyle, she grew up a farmer's daughter in Dougherty, IA, the eldest of 8, and working hard was just what you did. Corn, beans, cattle, pigs, and cooking and cleaning for a small army. She never forgot that work ethic. Given a timeline of six months to live, she defied the odds and survived nearly two years. Maybe dying seemed too lazy to her. She still had things to teach her family: lessons about acceptance, faith, strength, humor, love, joy, and tenacity.

Jean broke glass ceilings, and started that early on, beginning with showing cattle at the North Iowa Fair for 4-H in the 1950s. Girls only showed pigs back then, but Jean knew she could handle the cattle as well as the boys, and so she did, while her dad cheered her along. The next year, several more girls showed cattle alongside her.

Jean graduated in 1962 as valedictorian from St. Patrick's School - "It was a class of four," she'd tell you with a laugh. Women could choose to become either nurses or teachers back then. Jean chose nursing and headed to Rochester, MN, to earn her degree. While the other women in her dorm complained about having to share a room, Jean was pleased to only share a room with one other girl rather than three sisters. It felt like an upgrade. She graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in 1965.

Jean met and married Vernon Lee, and they had a daughter, Cathy. Soon after, Vern deployed to Vietnam with the Marines while Jean was pregnant with their son, Chris. Jean found herself with a new job in a new town and pregnant with a toddler. She worked and parented two children under 2 for seven months before Vern's tour of duty was over. But Jean could do hard things. She knew how to work hard, and her younger sisters helped on summer break. Over the years, Jean's family grew by another son, Brian, and another daughter, Mehgan.

Jean grew professionally along the way, working as a registered nurse in Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland and Minnesota in GI and cardiac units and as a nurse educator. The eldest of 8, Jean was a born leader and found herself successfully taking on ever advancing roles. She served as head nurse of Domitilla 4D when it was a cardiac intensive care unit at St. Mary's, the Mayo Clinic Hospital. She worked her way up into the hospital's administration, serving as the director of Central Services, a behind-the-scenes team that ensures clean or sterile tools, instruments and equipment for patients and hospital staff. Jean went back to school in the early 90s, earning a bachelor's degree in health arts from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL. She then became the director of Environmental Services at St. Mary's and Methodist hospitals, managing hundreds of housekeepers and janitors who kept the hospitals clean and safe. Jean prioritized infection control, and working at a teaching hospital, taught new residents how she led her team to keep the hospital a healthy environment.

Jean got a lot of miles in walking the hospital corridors every day, at a speedy clip and in heels no less. You walk fast when you're a hard worker and you've got people to help. Maybe walking around all of those halls is how everyone seemed to know her. You couldn't be out in the community with her without several people wanting to say hello. Jean's sense of humor and joie de vivre made her beloved wherever she went.

Jean showed that one person can make a difference. She not only served others in her career, but also in her personal life. She frequently provided family with a safe place to land - those seeking care at the Mayo Clinic, in school, or going through a tough time. She knew tough times, and she helped others heal from them by volunteering as a facilitator and board member at Beginning Experience, a ministry that supports people facing grief and anger after the painful end of a marriage. She was a member of Al-Anon. She also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and served as a eucharistic minister at Pax Christi Catholic Church, where she was a member for nearly 40 years.

Jean loved music,and always had a song in her heart and a jig at the ready. From Big Band, to hits from the 50s, Irish songs, Neil Diamond, Motown, Bing Crosby, and Nat King Cole, she loved to sing and dance, especially square dancing and ballroom dancing. She also remained a die-hard Vikings fan despite year after year of disappointment. Jean relished card games, baking Christmas cookies, and being the first Christmas card in your mailbox. She enjoyed reading, a good game show, and keeping up with the news. She was deeply proud of her Irish roots, and a trip to Ireland was a meaningful experience. She checked off a vacation to Hawaii as another bucket list item and loved to travel.

Jean's family continued to grow with daughter-in-law Michelle in 1991; daughter-in-law Eva in 2012; and son-in-law Rob in 2015. She loved watching children play, especially her many adored grandchildren and great grandchildren: Brianne Lee, Conner (Alyson) Steinhorst, Alex (Sarah) Lee, Brady (Ellie) Steinhorst, Max Schieffer, Olivia Allen, Henry Lee, Benjamin Lee, Lucas Steinhorst, Grayson Steinhorst, Rory Steinhorst, and Patrick Lee.

Jean fought hard against Alzheimer's disease, teaching herself many tips and tricks to hang on to her memory for as long as possible. She remembered her family to the very end. While her heart failed her, it never failed them.

Jean was preceded in death by her father Patrick; mother Theresa; and brothers Terry, Mark, and Francis. Jean's legacy will live on in her two daughters and two sons; in-laws; grandchildren; great grandchildren; brother Steve (Patti) Boyle; sisters Martha (Dave) Tygart, Carol (Eric) Schrader, and Sheila (Dave) Bird; sisters-in-law Carol Boyle and Rosann Boyle; many nieces and nephews; dozens of cousins; and countless friends. Her family is grateful for the gift of her life, for her steadfast morals and convictions, and for all the lessons she taught us about how to be a good person and how to enjoy life.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at Maxon Family Cremation & Life Celebrations, 1624 37th St. NW, Rochester, MN. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Pax Christi Catholic Church with Fr. John Sauer officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Poverello Foundation at St. Mary's, which pays for medical and surgical care for those who cannot afford it; the Arc of the United States, which promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; or to Pax Christi Parish in Rochester, MN.