Jeanne Boardman

1923 - 2009

Jeanne Boardman, artist, weaver, wife, mother, friend and activist. Charles Houghton and Margaret Waltz Houghton had two daughters, Billie and Jeanne; Jeanne was born in Indianapolis, Feb. 8, 1923. As a child in Indiana, she looked forward to the first winter snow. She would be the first on the hill and often the last child home from sledding. Her mother, a registered nurse, had previously worked as a special agent for the U.S. Department of Labor. Her father, a railroad engineer, died of pneumonia in 1930. Her mother moved the family to Los Angeles around 1935. There, Jeanne took a job with May Company Wilshire, where she learned a valuable skill. She was taught to assume every customer, regardless of how rich or poor they might appear, deserved the best product and service. She learned to set aside her assumptions and treat each person she met in life as someone special. She ate lunch each day at a drugstore lunch counter and often talked with a young man behind the counter. He graduated from USC School of Pharmacy and moved to run his parents’ pharmacy, disappearing from her life.

Her mother opened a school in Ojai for special needs children. Jeanne and her sister worked long hours to keep the school running. The Houghton School was one of the first institutions that believed special needs kids could not only learn but learn enough to return to their homes and become productive members of their communities. Shortly after World War II broke out, the entire world changed. People of different cultures were pushed together in urban areas that afforded no escape. Los Angeles turned into a powder keg. The Zoot Suit Riots culminated in a massive miscarriage of justice called the Sleepy Lagoon Murder. A group of teenagers were swept up simply based on their skin color and accent. A friend of Jeanne’s, Francis, was among those arrested. Citing a need for employees, the school lobbied for Francis’ release and Francis was released to the school’s employment.

The neighborhood around the school was alive with new ideas and projects. Krishnamurti lived across the drive. Aldous Huxley and other luminaries occasionally visited Krishnamurti. If you cared to, you could listen to them talk while watching the sun go down from the bridge.

Jeanne learned to ride and jump horses. At first, she was afraid to jump. Her instructor, Paul Pitman, told her to imagine throwing her heart over as she approached the jump, saying that everything else would follow. Her horse was named Mayo after her family’s home county in Ireland. After a few years, Paul and Francis would be married. Paul continued to teach riding and Francis became an exotic animal trainer specializing in big cats.

As the war ended, military men returned home. In 1946, Jeanne was working as a costume mistress at the Ojai Art Center when after a rehearsal someone asked an actor to give her a ride home. They talked during the drive to her home in the east end of the valley. They would meet again when she stopped at the corner drug store for lunch. She then recognized the actor as her young man behind the counter when she worked at May Company Wilshire. His name was Jay Boardman. He had served as a Navy combat medic throughout the Pacific Theater. A year later, they were married and remained together again until his death in 1987.

Jeanne had three sons, who brought home friends and occasional stray animals, all of whom were made welcome, fed, and cared for. Every weekend or holiday morning, there would be a new cast at the table for breakfast. Jeanne loved the beach and enjoyed tossing the kids, surfboards and dogs into the car for the run to C Street or Rincon. While keeping an eye on kids and dogs, she would draw or write.

There were occasional tough times over the years. However, true to the Greatest Generation ethic, she would not give up. Instead she maintained her faith and optimism, believing that life was for learning. She lived independently, shopping, preparing her meals, caring for her animals and staying up-to-date on the news of the day. Two weeks ago, while shopping Christmas Eve, she appeared to have injured herself in a fall while shopping. It would turn out that she had suffered a heart attack. She endured a triple bypass and aortal valve replacement. She responded well to the surgery. Then a few days ago it became evident that she had acquired a serious infection. In spite of her spiritual and physical strength and the best efforts of her physicians and nurses, the infection would prevail.

We believed that she could win the struggle until a few moments before the end. Friday morning, around 4 a.m. Jan. 9, 2009, she passed from this life to her next assignment from God. Jeanne leaves behind two living sons, Lowell and Kevin. Lowell’s wife, Rosanne, their children, Morgan and Christina, live in Santa Barbara. Jeanne’s third son, Kevin, his former wife, Sue, son Charles and Charles’ wife, Sierra, and Kevin’s daughter, Marissa, live in Portland, Ore. A second son, Bruce, predeceased Jeanne. Among Jeanne’s friends, who are too many to list, Donald Rivers and Jon Vattari were very helpful to Jeanne over the years.

Burial will be private.

Memorial donations may be made in her honor to the World Wildlife Foundation, P.O. Box 97180, Washington, DC 20090, http://www.WorldWildlife.org, 800-225-5993.

Mrs. Boardman has been entrusted to the care of the family-owned Joseph Reardon Funeral Home, Ventura, Calif. 805-643-8623.