Jeanne Mauer Matefy

1945 - 2022

Jeanne Maurer Matefy
October 11, 1945-April 1, 2022
Jeanne, who lived in Easton, Connecticut, wanted a "love story" for her obituary. So here is my love story to my precious wife. First, some brief history. Jeanne was born in Utica, New York. Her father wanted his family out of the city and settled in Marlboro, New York, an idyllic country town in the mid-Hudson Valley farmland. Surrounded by orchards and farms, she and her six siblings spent their summers eating wild berries, spitting cherry pits at each other while sitting up in the trees, and roaming the hills searching for fossil rocks. She loved her family and the idyllic life the Hudson Valley offered.
Jeanne attended the State University of New York at Albany, where we met at a sorority dance. At first, I was struck by her sweet beauty, and then as I got to know her, Jeanne's warmth, lovingness, acceptance, and understanding shone through as bright as her long strawberry-blond hair. "This is the woman I've been searching for." After completing her B.A. Jeanne was offered a graduate assistantship to study Art History at Queens College. She eventually became a college instructor at the City University of New York and the University of Bridgeport. She loved visiting museums, cathedrals, and other works of art throughout the U.S. and the world during our time together. After graduating from our respective graduate programs, we married in my log cabin rental on a pond in Connecticut. The champagne flowed before the Justice of the Peace showed up, and he had to deal with two giddy lovers. We were sure he went home and told his wife, "I give them six months"! That was fifty years ago.
Our love grew even stronger when three devoted and affectionate children - Elise Matefy, Laura Sealfon, Kirk Matefy, their loyal spouses Craig Wisneski and Ross Sealfon, and seven adorable grandchildren - Parker, Callan, Grayson, Graham, Kanen, Soren, and Trenton, joined our love story. Jeanne embraced a joy for life that was contagious - dancing, traveling, gardening, raising orchids, hiking, skiing, grandkids, and taking care of her home and family. Worried about how I would manage after she was gone, Jeanne made sure I got the latest Covid booster and learned the basics of housekeeping.
Sadly, Jeanne's cancer ended this incredibly loving and joyful marriage. When first given the diagnosis, she turned to me and cried, "I don't want to leave you!" And I wept, "You never will"… During her long illness, Jeanne would declare, "I'll be joining the Universe soon." When the end was near, I asked her if she had any thoughts about what she would like on her tombstone. Jeanne replied without hesitation, "Stardust." I was puzzled. "Listen to the lyrics. You will understand," she said. And I did, and it all made sense. Jeanne knew we are an intimate part of the universe; we are made of stardust. Please listen to the words to Stardust, especially sung by Nat King Cole or Willie Nelson, so that you too will understand our love story. "My stardust melody, The memory of love's refrain."
Jeanne passed peacefully on April 1, 2022, knowing that her family was at her bedside. A private family graveside ceremony will be followed by a "Celebration of Jeanne's Life" for family and friends this spring when the flowers bloom. Anyone wishing to donate to Jeanne's favorite charity in her memory, please consider Connecticut Food Bank, 229 Mountain Grove St., Bridgeport, 06605, 203-469-5000.
Someday our stardust will dance among the stars, "and I am once again with you."
Your loving husband, Bob