Betty Jean "Jeanne" Breakall

Betty Jean "Jeanne" Breakall, age 84, of Elizabeth, Colorado, passed away in her home on
July 15, 2025. She loved that home - her sweetheart had built it for her with his own two hands
more than forty years ago. She often prayed she would live out the rest of her days within the
handcrafted walnut interior he had so skillfully shaped into every wall and corner, with a view of
her mountain, Pike, and surrounded by a lifetime of memories - hundreds of them lovingly
displayed throughout her home in the form of carefully collected and preserved pictures,
knick-knacks, souvenirs, and mementos. Her prayer was answered.
Jeanne's collection of memories began "east of the Mississippi," as she would say. Born on May
9, 1941, in Hagerstown, Maryland, to Mildred Mary Mellott and Clarence Elwood Crawford, she
was the second of four children. Jeanne grew up in Pennsylvania as a "Fultonite" - her
nickname for residents of Fulton County (Jeanne loved nicknames). Smart from the beginning,
she skipped the second grade and was never afraid to admit what she didn't understand, or to
ask questions until she did. Her childhood was marked by country living and farm life - from a
young age she worked the fields, milked the cows, and by age eight, she could drive the tractor.
These early years instilled in her a strong work ethic and a deep sense of independence and
responsibility - qualities that she carried throughout her life and passed on to her own children.
Perhaps the most pivotal moment of her childhood came in the summer of 1950, when, at age
nine, she traveled with her family to be sealed together in the Salt Lake City temple. It was
during that westward trip that Jeanne first laid eyes on snow-capped mountains - the Tetons of
Wyoming. They left a deep and enduring impression on her heart. She vowed that one day she
would live west of the Mississippi, somewhere she could see mountains from her window every
day.
Just four years later, in high school, Jeanne fell in love with her classmate and friend George
Hamilton Breakall III - a handsome, guitar-playing, fun-loving, hardworking baseball pitcher.
Even then, she told him of her dream to live in the West with a view of the mountains. George
turned her dreams into his own and promised to try to make them come true. One year after
graduating from Warfordsburg High School, Jeanne and George eloped on June 19, 1959, and
together began building the life that future generations would revere them for creating.
Within five years they had five children: George IV, Jeffrey, Bret, Carolyn, and Beth. The days
were full - hand-washed diapers hung to dry on the pulley line George built from the window to
the tree, garden-grown food was planted, tended, and preserved, and three meals were cooked
from scratch each day. Jeanne sensed that though the days were long, the years were short -
and they were still living east of the Mississippi. So in January of 1967, Jeanne told George that
if he didn't get the 10-cent raise he expected, they were moving West. When he came home
with only a nickel raise, they both knew what that meant.
On March 8, 1967, they loaded up their five children into their truck and camper. With little more
than George's tools, Jeanne's pressure cooker (smuggled aboard), and one toy for each child,
they pioneered their way to Colorado. When the Rocky Mountains came into sight from the
eastern plains, Jeanne said, "We're home." For the next fifteen years, Jeanne and George raised their children on a two-acre homestead at 64th and Buckley in Commerce City. There,
they gladly welcomed home their sixth and final child, Clint, in 1972. With Clint, their family was
complete.
It was Jeanne - Mom - who made their house a home. First thing in the morning, it was the
sound of Mom cooking pancakes, eggs, and sausage that woke them up. At lunch, they were
sustained by the sandwiches she made from her homemade bread. When they got off the
schoolbus, it was Mom they ran to with their stories. It was Mom that prepared each birthday
cake, Mom that defended them from injustice, and Mom that protected them from danger -
even shooting a snake to keep the yard a safe playspace for her little ones. She drove the boys
to buy motorcycle parts and taught the girls how to grind wheat and bake bread. It was Mom
who nursed them through illness, Mom who made sure each child had something they would
love under the Christmas tree, and Mom who recorded every accomplishment - even into their
adulthood. It was Mom that knew their favorite meals, including dishes like her tomato soup with
grilled cheese sandwiches, snow ice cream, or her Pennsylvania pork puddin'. And at night, as
they drifted off to sleep, it was the sound of Mom vacuuming that signaled the day was done
and all was well.
She kept a large garden and became an expert at canning - even when her pregnant belly
brushed too close to the hot gas stove. Some years she canned as many as 200 quarts of
peaches and 100 quarts of "mater juice," made from "many bushels of maters." George and the
boys hunted meat for the family, but Jeanne led the way in butchering and preserving it.
Sometimes she let her girls stay home from school to help her with that project - an invitation
Beth loved and Carolyn did not. Still, both girls treasured the other skills Jeanne taught them,
including sewing. Jeanne would later sew Carolyn's wedding dress.
In 1982, George completed their masterfully crafted home in Elizabeth, Colorado, and they
made their final move. Together they lived in that beloved home for over forty years. George
passed away there in 2023, and on July 15, 2025, Jeanne joined him in their eternal home.
Aside from her sweetheart, others waiting to welcome Jeanne home include her parents,
Mildred Mary Mellott and Clarence Elwood Crawford; her brother, Lynn Roy Crawford; and her
grandson, Michael Steven Breakall.
Jeanne is survived by her six children, George IV (Joyann) Breakall, Jeffrey (Kristen) Breakall,
Bret (Marlynn) Breakall, Carolyn (Peter) Maestas, Beth (Daniel) Prueitt, and Clint (Leona)
Breakall; and her two sisters, Joan Dolores Creek and Marcene Jeannette Estes. She is also
survived by 21 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.
And those grandchildren knew the magic of Grandma Jeanne - someone who could match
their wonder at a Columbine flower or a rainbow streaked sky, who shared their joy in
discovering a perfectly whole sand dollar on the beach, and who joined their mischief in games
of Spoons. Grandma Jeanne, who insisted on serving you - food, water, or wisdom - even
when you said you didn't need help. She was direct, honest, and unfailingly thoughtful, remembering every birthday and anniversary with a meaningful text - in all caps and with
plenty of emojis.
Of her many qualities - smart, funny, selfless, independent, loving, spirited, determined,
hardworking, protective, honest, thoughtful, nurturing, teaching - none was more defining than
her reverence for the beauty of God's creations, especially the mountains. Alongside George,
she traveled thousands of miles to behold hundreds of vistas. She wept at sunsets in red rock
deserts, under the giant spirits of the Redwood trees, beneath the vast Colorado sky, and in the
shadow of many a snow-capped peak. But none stirred her soul like the Alaskan wilderness.
The spell of the Yukon beckoned and beckoned to her. Denali especially held her heart - her
tears would stream at the sight of it, at the mention of it, at the memory of it. We imagine those
tears flowing freely now as she ascends the high mountain of the Lord, returning to our Creator,
Jesus Christ, and His inexpressible beauties.
Jeanne and George were anchors in our lives - grounding generations with their strength,
wisdom, and unwavering love. With both now gone from this earthly life, we feel the depth of
their absence. We hold to Jesus Christ, the eternal anchor of our souls, who continues to steady
our family in hope and love. We rejoice in the promise of the Resurrection and eternal families,
and we cling to that hope as we look forward to the day we are reunited - with them, and in
view of that sacred, holy peak of the mountain of our Lord.
The descendants of Jeanne and George had previously planned a family reunion for Saturday,
July 19th. As Jeanne left for her heavenly family reunion on July 15th, her loved ones still
gathered as planned - honoring and remembering her at a service held at The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Elizabeth, Colorado.
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