Jeanne Bruggeman

1920 - 2020

Jeanne Bruggeman

Jeanne Meredith Bruggeman celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year. Born in Cincinnati on June 28, 1920, as the only child of Bertha (Watson) and Meredith Heineke, Jeanne died on October 30, 2020. Our fondest memory is Jeanne's loving devotion to her children, Jeff and Linda. They are forever grateful for her untiring care, example, and guidance. Although these were Jeanne's greatest attributes, she possessed many others. A lovely and vivacious young woman, Jeanne reveled in festivities like dancing on the Island Queen during trips to Coney Island, despite the difficulties of the Depression. Jeanne graduated from Hartwell High School and attended Miami University for a short time which she enjoyed thoroughly and recalled fondly. World War II indelibly marked her life, as it did those of so many of her generation. Jeanne married her high school sweetheart, James Kenneth Carroll, on December 6, 1941, the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. When Ken volunteered for military service, Jeanne began her travel adventures by joining him at various training bases across the country before he was posted overseas as a bombardier. Their child, Jeffrey, was born in 1943. After Ken was killed in combat in the Pacific in 1944, Jeanne raised Jeff for years with the loving assistance of her parents, often spending time on their farm in Hillsboro. After the war, Jeanne fell in love with a decorated Army Air Corps sergeant, John Bruggeman, upon his return from duty in the Pacific. They married in 1949; and their daughter, Linda, was born in 1951. Jeanne and Jack enjoyed twenty years of marriage until he died too young in 1969. An excellent cook, Jeanne specialized in home-baked pies. Jeanne was also an accomplished seamstress, and excelled at many types of needlework. Jeanne traveled frequently throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Scotland. She enjoyed the bustle of life in a suburb of Washington, D.C., where she lived with Jeff for decades. A book collector, Jeanne avidly read mysteries, animal stories, and history and travel books. She loved animals, especially Topper, the Scottish Terrier of her young adulthood, and Loncie, the stray black domestic shorthair cat found by Linda who lived with Jeanne for more than 15 years. Jeanne's zest for living continued to the end. In her seventies, she purchased a skooter on which she would zoom up and down neighborhood sidewalks. In her final days, Jeanne still heaved a sigh, with a twinkle in her eye, as she gazed affectionately at Nelson Eddy in a movie or Johnny Mathis in a concert video. Jeanne is survived by her daughter, Linda Bruggeman (Thomas Zeno). Burial at Rest Haven will follow a private ceremony. Memorials and expressions of sympathy may be posted at www.hodappfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.