Jeanette Widmer

1922 - 2016

Jeanette Widmer, 93, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, entered into eternal peace on Thursday, April 14, 2016. Service: A private committal service will be at University Christian Church. Visitation with the family will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 17, at Thompson's Harveson and Cole Funeral Home. Memorials: The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Fort Worth Country Day School, 4200 Country Day Lane, Fort Worth, Texas 76109; University Christian Church, 2720 S. University Drive, Fort Worth 76109; or a charity of your choice. Sarah Jeanette Billing Widmer was born Sept. 11, 1922, in Paradise. She was a longtime resident of Fort Worth. After graduating from Polytechnic High School, she studied at a business school before going to work for the Fort Worth law offices of McGown, McGown, Godfrey and Logan. During World War II, she worked at Consolidated Aircraft Company (which became Convair, then General Dynamics and now Lockheed) where she was secretary for Robert H. Widmer. Bob had moved from San Diego, Calif., to Fort Worth as chief engineer to open the new bomber plant, designing and manufacturing military aircraft for our country's defense. She and Bob married on Dec. 22, 1945, and had a son, Robert Lawrence "Larry" and a daughter, Gail Ann. Jeanette and Bob maintained a home in Rancho Bernardo, Calif., for 31 years and one in St. Louis, Mo. (where the corporate headquarters of General Dynamics was located) for 14 years, with one in Fort Worth as well. They were blessed to enjoy many friendships in all three places. She enjoyed many years of painting classes at the Junior Woman's Club of Fort Worth, where she was chairman of the Creative Arts Section in 1953. She was a member of the Fort Worth Art Association when they used to meet in the old library building in downtown Fort Worth. She was one of several art students of acclaimed "Fort Worth Circle" artist Bror Utter who had the honor to serve as hostess the night the Fort Worth (Modern) Art Museum moved into its new building (now the Community Arts Center). Jeanette was an accomplished artist herself and enjoyed not only painting watercolors and oils, but also creating ceramics. She owned her own kiln, and fired her own ceramic ware for many years, experimenting with various clays, pieces of glass, glazes, and paints to create objects of all kinds. For years, pottery and paint palettes were commonplace on her kitchen counters so she could dabble whenever she got a chance. She and her husband enjoyed membership in all of the art museums in Fort Worth, and attended almost every opening with anticipation and enthusiasm. Jeanette was a very strong and independent woman as was needed while her husband traveled on frequent business trips to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Air Force bases around the country, and numerous foreign countries. She became both mother and father to children Larry and Gail for four or more days each week. When Bob was home, they enjoyed being with their children and playing golf together on Sunday afternoons. Jeanette and Bob were among the fist members of Colonial Country Club. They enjoyed many years of playing doubles tennis together. Later, when she became an avid golfer, she was a member of the Colonial Country Club Women's Golf Association and the Rancho Bernardo Country Club Women's Golf Association, in San Diego County, Calif. She was also a member of the Bellerive Country Club Ladies Golf Association in St. Louis, Mo., as well as a member of Shady Oaks Ladies Golf Association where, in 1960 she designed the original Shady Oaks Country Club "hanging tree" logo in the shape of a medallion. Haltom's Jewelers used it as a pattern to enamel and etch on gold disks for bracelets and as crests that were used for golf prizes for the ladies' tournaments. The logo, an oak tree within a circle, was also used on the club's napkins, stationary, golf socks, sweaters and many other items. Next to her children and grandchildren, Jeanette was proudest of her two holes-in-one. The first was in 1966 on hole No. 8 at Colonial Country Club and the second in 1981 on hole No. 13 at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. As her children grew up, she found time to volunteer at Fort Worth Country Day and at Baylor-All Saints Medical Center (formerly All Saints Episcopal Hospital). She trained in all departments, but the orthopedic floor was her favorite. She became head volunteer for several years. She also loved to sew and, for many years, made most of her own clothes. She and her mother, Mary Daugherty Wilson, who was an incredibly talented seamstress and hand embroiderer, delighted in making most of daughter Gail's clothes. Many of these clothes are now being passed down to her great-granddaughters, Adelaide Butler and Sarita Jane Landreth. After Bob's retirement as corporate vice president of General Dynamics, she enjoyed traveling several times a year with groups of friends to all parts of the world. With family, she especially cherished trips to Acapulco and Hawaii with their children and grandchildren. She was an active member and leader of Tri Psi Sorority (Mothers of Tri Deltas). Over the years, she devoted much of her time and resources to many charitable organizations in Fort Worth. She loved animals, birds and plants. When she had to stop playing golf because of an injury, she spent her free time gardening, bird watching, and emailing family and friends. She was always happy to see her hummingbirds return every spring, sometimes even before she could get her feeders hung. She fed the titmice, chickadees, cardinals and doves all year long. The family wishes to thank Drs. Alan Davenport and Mary Milam for their many years of friendship and healthcare, Evelyn Benton and Phyllis Dooley of Comfort Keepers for their kindness, companionship and devotion, and also Community Hospice of Texas nurses Barbara, Brenda and Ella. She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Robert H. Widmer. Survivors: She leaves her loving memories to be cherished by her son, Robert Lawrence "Larry" Widmer; daughter, Gail Widmer Landreth and her husband, William A. Landreth Jr.; granddaughter, Anjanette Landreth Butler and her husband, William Butler; grandsons W.A. Landreth III and his wife, Regan, and Edward A. Landreth II of Washington, D.C. Her great-grandchildren include George Edward "Ward" and Adelaide Virginia Butler, and Will Henry and Sarita Jane Landreth. She is also survived by a niece, Edamarie Del Grosso and her husband, Gary, of New York; nephews, Peter Widmer and his wife, Susan, and William R. Widmer and his wife, Mary Beth, of Atherton, Calif. Last but not least, she will also be greatly missed by her newest family member, a granddog named Pinkie, who visited her every day.