Jean McKenzie Oast

Jean McKenzie Oast, 91, died peacefully at home on Thursday, March 2, 2023. She was born in Selma, Alabama on August 17, 1931 to Richardson Bricken McKenzie and Ruby Porter McKenzie.

After graduating from Parrish High School in 1949, she attended and graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College, where she formed lifelong friendships and met her beloved husband, Edward Linscott Oast, Jr. (VMI and W&L). They married in Selma in 1953 and soon settled in Ed's childhood home in Portsmouth, Virginia.

While Daddy practiced law, Mom devoted herself to her children and home, her community, and her church. She served as a docent at the Chrysler Museum and was very active in the Portsmouth Service League. Jean was also a member of the Elizabeth River Garden Club, the Norfolk Society of Arts, and was involved in the inception of the Children's Museum in Portsmouth. She was proud to be a 1995 recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

After Daddy's death in 2014, Mom moved to Harbor's Edge in Norfolk and loved being there with so many of her friends, both old and new. When her health started to decline in 2020, she moved to her Sandbridge cottage to be with her family.

We are so appreciative of the care and guidance provided by Interim Hospice (Olivia & Judy). Mom was attended daily by Shamika Francis, a warm, kind, smiling angel who brightened every day. We will be forever grateful to this remarkable woman and her family (the Angel-ettes).

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brothers Dick and Stewart, and her son-in-law Jack McCombs. She is survived by her children: Elizabeth Oast McCombs, Carolyn Porter Oast, and Edward Linscott Oast III (Stewart); her grandchildren: Carolyn Oast McCombs, Bricken Eldridge McCombs, McKenzie Oast Lazar (Dale), and Edward Linscott Oast IV (Michelle); her great-granddaughter, Roma Jean Lazar, and one more on the way!; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was visited often by her dear nieces Melissa and Rena.

A Memorial Service will be held 12:00 noon on Saturday, March 11, at Churchland Baptist Church by the Rev. Dan Koger, with a visitation in the sanctuary an hour prior. The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Churchland Baptist Church, 3031 Churchland Blvd., Chesapeake, VA 23321 or Randolph College, 2500 Rivermont Ave., Lynchburg, VA 24503. Condolences may be registered at BWFosterFuneralHome.com.