Jeanette Winchell Short

Jeanette Winchell Short, 90 BRUNSWICK -- Jeanette Winchell Short, 90, of Brunswick, passed away in her sleep on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, after a very brief illness. Her family was with her when she died. Jeanette was born Nov. 20, 1918, in Arlington, Mass. Her parents were Thomas Riley Winchell and Louise Margaret Weatherill. Jeanette grew up in West Newton, Mass., graduating from Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Mass., in 1936. During WWII Jeanette sailed to Europe on the Queen Elizabeth with 21 other nurses sharing one stateroom - the QE had been converted into a troop ship. Jeanette was a Nurse's Aid in Germany, France and England and drove the Red Cross 'Clubmobile' throughout Europe, where she got to know General Patton's driver, Sergeant George Meeks. Jeanette also had the historical moment of attending the Nuremburg Trials. Being an avid adventurer and traveler, Jeanette read an article in Life magazine about a man who was going to sail across the Atlantic on his 65 foot schooner, the Utopia. Enthralled and with a sailing background from growing up in Maine, Jeanette wrote a letter to Utopia's owner. She received a letter back inviting her to join on the crossing and bring a friend along. So before she knew it she and her friend were aboard Utopia! They started out in the Great Lakes after the famous Mackinac race (from Chicago to Mackinac Island in Lake Michigan), cruised out the St. Lawrence River into the North Atlantic. After making it across the North Atlantic without charts or any other navigational equipment, they found the Azores and for three months the Utopia cruised throughout the Mediterranean and sailed back across to cruise the Caribbean for yet another three months. After her return Jeanette became a flight attendant on the old Northeast Airlines for a year and a half. Skiing in Sun Valley she met up with a childhood friend, John P. Litchfield, from Orr's Island. They married in 1951. Litchfield, an accomplished skier and member of the 10th Mountain Division, was one of the co-directors who established Aspen's first ski school. They were married for 11 years with the marriage ending in divorce. She then proceeded on a trip around the world with her 80 year old father. They were in the first group of civilians to be allowed to visit the newly open China in 1964. After the voyage with her father Jeanette moved to San Francisco for a short time. Finally settling in New York City she worked at General Dynamics and the Bank of Montreal and spent summers on Orr's Island, Maine, sailing extensively on the family yawl, Indra. In July of 1975 she married her long time friend, Marion Lewis Lovell Short, a Lexingtonian of aviation fame whom she met through her brother, Robert Winchell; they attended Bowdoin College together. Jeanette and Shorty resided in Lexington, Ky., and spent winters cruising through the Bahamas on their power boat. Shorty died in 1989 after a brief illness that developed while traveling in Africa. Their friends in Lexington remarked that Jeanette was considered 'extremely nice for a Yankee!' Jeanette moved back to Maine to be closer to her family - spending summers at Orr's Island. A memorial service will be held in August at the family compound on Orr's Island. She loved animals and had a pet pig way prior to such a vogue. She is survived by her nieces and nephews, Charlotte Johansen of Palo Alto, Calif., Diane Winchell of Orr's Island and Palo Alto, Calif., Margo Villa and Thomas R. Winchell both of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and Robert G. Winchell of Winthrop. Jeanette loved the sea and all its creatures. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to: Ocean Conservancy 1300 19th Street, NW 8th Floor Washington, D.C. 20036