Jeanne Sparrow Hilimire

Jeanne Sparrow Hilimire, 95, of 436 Circlewoods, Venice, Florida, passed in her sleep into eternal rest at 7:00 a.m., Thursday, (September 21) at the Homestead Retirement Home in Penn Yan, New York.

A private service will be held at St. Mary's Cemetery , Geneva.

Jeanne was born in Canandaigua, New York on May 11, 1922, the daughter of Helen Swayze and Vincent James Sparrow. She attended St. Mary's Catholic grammar school, Grand Archery Champion of New York in 1939, and graduated from Canandaigua Academy, class of 1940. After graduation she worked at the Seneca Army Depot as a munitions accountant and then on to employment at National Bank of Geneva's new branch office at the Depot. She stayed with the bank, transferring to the Town and Country Plaza branch until her relocation to Florida in 1976. When she moved to Florida she regretted leaving all of her wonderful friends she had made over the years at the Geneva Country Club and at other social activities she had been engaging in. Moving to Florida, building a new house, starting a new retirement life, playing golf, close to family, and getting out of the winter weather suited her Irish Catholic Disposition just fine. Jeanne was blessed with good health, good friends and a good time right up to three weeks before she passed. Her father Vincent was a highly decorated First World War soldier from Geneva's 108th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, that fought battles in the Somme, the Ypes, The Argonne Forest and the final attack on the Hindenberg Line. He earned 2 Purple Hearts. Jeanne often spoke of the great memories in her teenage years of her father, who she revered, her kind mother, her brother Chirp, her Gramma an Grampa Swayze, all sitting around the kitchen table, talking, laughing, held together by common family values of that early era of the 20th century. She and her brother Chirp (Jim) considered themselves lucky that they inherited such wonderful values like honor, the sense of duty to a task, love of family values, love of country, self-reliance, and taking responsibility for oneself. She lived through the Depression, a World War, a marriage, 2 children, 4 grandchildren, and along the way created an interesting and useful life, and along with her generation, helped to shape the America we live in today.

She is survived by son and daughter-in-law James and Stacie Hilimire of Branchport; grandsons Christopher (Melissa) Hilimire of Savannah, Ga. and Joshua (Anna) Hilimire of Blackshear, Ga.; granddaughters Amy (Patrick Quigley) Spencer of Waterloo and Sarah McKim of Pennsylvania; cousin, Sandy Bartlett of Geneva, and seven great-grandchildren.

She was pre-deceased by her daughter, Nancy Hilimire Teasenfitz of Lansdale, Pa.; and a brother, James V. (Chirp) Sparrow of Venice, Florida.

Online condolences for the family may be expressed at www.palmfh.com