Jean Mary White

Jean Mary White

White, Jean M. age 57 of Edina on April 27, 2011 of ovarian cancer.

In 1953, Eisenhower became president, the Minneapolis Lakers were NBA champs,  
and the White family - Bob, June, Liz, Bob and Jim - welcomed Jeanie to the  
world and their cozy Russell Avenue home, perched just above Minnehaha Creek  
in Minneapolis.  Growing up, Jeanie reveled in neighborhood baseball games  
that went past dark, weekend ski trips to Trollhaugen and endless volleys on  
the tennis court with her dear ole Dad (a.k.a. RL, Flipper Jorgenson ...)

Jeanie's athletic endeavors continued at the University of Minnesota where  
she earned a varsity letter in tennis - one of the first women to do so.  She  
went on to become a certified ski instructor at Hyland Hill Ski School and a  
professional golf instructor at Braemar Golf Course.  Jeanie was a friendly  
fixture at Braemar for 20 years where she taught golf, took tee times, drove  
the beverage cart and battled her only real enemy in life: buckthorn.

Beyond her love of sports and the outdoors, Jeanie believed in giving back to  
the community.  Until a few weeks before she died, she served on the City of  
Edina's Transportation Commission, the Southwest Roundtable, Rovers, the  
Conservation League of Edina, and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness.  
For the past nine years, Jeanie was a Community Education Coordinator for
Minneapolis Public Schools.

Jeanie was a devoted aunt to her nephews and nieces.  On days off, she took  
the kids downhill skiing, cross country skiing, biking, golfing, kayaking,  
hiking ...    We could always count on her for baptisms, first communions,  
school concerts, and birthdays; all she wanted in return was an occasional  
shoulder rub.

There used to be a sign in the Metrodome that read, "Minnesota - We Like it  
Here!"  Jeanie loved that sign because she liked it here and she made us like  
it here, too.  She turned her world into a lifelong playground and because  
her love of life was so infectious Jeanie made our world that much richer.

 Diagnosed in 1997, Jeanie not only survived but thrived for 14 years. Employed for the past nine years by the Minneapolis Public Schools as a Community Education Coordinator, where she worked until a month before her passing.

Jeanie was a friendly fixture at Braemar Golf Course where she worked for 20 years, teaching youth golf, working at the clubhouse front-desk and, until last fall, driving the beverage cart. Jeanie was a great athlete, lettering in tennis at the University of Minnesota, one of the first women to do so. She was a certified ski instructor and taught skiing at Highland Hills. Jeanie was an active volunteer in the community working as a member of the Edina Transportation Commission, the Southwest Roundtable, Rovers, the Conservation League of Edina, and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Jean graduated from Edina High School and the University of Minnesota where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta.  

Jeanie will be missed by her many friends and family. She is preceded in death by her father, Robert L. White; sister, June Ann. She is survived by her mother, June White; sisters, Liz (John) Wallerius, Katie (Jim) Triggs; brothers, Fr. Bob, Jim (Sarah), Bill (Linda); 11 nephews and nieces.

Mass of Christian Burial Monday 6:00 PM at the Church of Our Lady of Grace, 5051 Eden Ave. Edina.   Visitation Monday 1 hour prior to mass at church only. Jeanie has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to Park Nicollet Methodist Foundation to support Hospice and cancer research. (www.parknicollet.com/foundation) 952-993-5023.

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