Jean Chiswell "Jeannie" Hulse

Boise, Idaho - A Texas girl who never quite lost her accent, Jeannie Chiswell Hulse, 73, passed away on July 17, 2017 at a local Boise hospital, surrounded by the ones she loved most, after a prolonged illness that she handled with her trademark grace and good humor.

Born in Harlingen, Texas, the infant Jeannie was delighted to find she was one of a pair of beautiful girls. Her identical twin, Jane Sizemore, remained her best friend and closest confidante all her life.

Jeannie graduated from North Texas State University and became a first-grade teacher in Roswell, New Mexico.

In 1964, Jeannie and a friend crashed a party where she met a handsome young Air Force officer. With his characteristic charm, Tony Hulse rapidly swept Jeannie off her feet, and they were married in Roswell, New Mexico in 1965. Children followed, Laura Jane and Richard Anthony, to whom Jeannie was devoted. As the family moved with Tony's Air Force assignments, Jeannie set up house for her family in Taiwan, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, North Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, and California.

When her children were in grade school, Jeannie decided to go back to school to get a masters degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

When the Boise-native Tony retired from the Air Force and brought the family home to Boise, Jeannie spent 28 years teaching Special Education at Koelsch Elementary School. Her students became like children to her, and she cherished the time she spent watching them grow.

In 2009, Jeannie became a grandmother to the cutest grandson in the world, as she said. The role of being Grammy to Isaac Hulse, Richard's son, turned out to be exactly the role she'd been preparing for all her life. Isaac and she shared a special connection from the very first moment they met.

Jeannie is preceded in death by her parents, Herbert and Pauline Chiswell, her brother, Charles Chiswell, and her daughter-in-law Aura Mayo. She is survived by her devoted husband, Tony, her loving children, Laura and Richard, her beloved grandson, Isaac, and her favorite daughters-in-law WonJu and Rachael.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, July 24th at 2pm at the Cathedral of the Rockies, 717 N. 11th St, Boise. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI), care of St. Luke's Health Foundation, 190 East Bannock St, Boise, 83712.