Jean Broome Sneed Zahuranec

On July 14, 2024, with her loving and devoted husband of 35 years, children, caregiver, and her youngest grandchild Abigail by her side, Jean Zahuranec made her last gesture of generosity and fierce support of her children. She opened her eyes one last time when she heard them talking about bringing her home under Hospice care. In charge to the end, at the age of 90, she tried to mouth "I love you," then took her last breath.
Jean and her surviving twin sister Jeanette were born on August 10, 1933 to the parents of Fritz and Marie Broome in Geneva, New York. They had to fend for themselves when Fritz decided the lure of the road as a trucker along with all its enticements, was more fulfilling than being a father and provider. As a result the twins and their mother bonded very closely in order to stay safe as they fought to survive. Jean developed a tenacity to protect her family, starting with her twin sister, that rivaled the behavior of a momma bear with cubs. We all knew not to say anything bad about Jeanette and our siblings in mom's presence, or we risked being eaten. In a strange way, this helped us be more loving toward each other.
After parting ways with Al Sneed, the surviving father of her children, she embarked on the single parent journey for a brief time before meeting her surviving husband Bernie. With a High School education and some college, she worked hard in banking, rising to the position of Secretary at Potomac Valley Bank in Montgomery County Maryland, earning employee of the year honors along the way. She loved volunteering at Habitat for Humanity ReStores whenever she could. She cherished sunsets and enjoyed many from her comfy chair or dock whenever it wasn't cloudy.
With her beloved Bernie, she traveled the world, seeing Egypt, the UK, India and the Netherlands, capturing iconic images along the way. Bernie always talked about how much he enjoyed being with her and how much mom "tolerated" him. His undying devotion was apparent daily. The image of our mother riding a camel in Egypt will remain in our brains even if all of our neurons stop firing. She always wanted to travel the world and loved all forms of art and pastries (no one should ever be hungry was her mantra). On one journey, Bernie took her and Jeanette to the Netherlands, where her dream of going to France became a reality when the twins took a train from Amsterdam to Paris, where they binged on pastries and art.
After traveling the world Bernie and mom enjoyed the last 20 of their 35 years together, living by the shores of Bogue Sound in Emerald Isle, NC, where they shared their love of ice cream, sunsets, old movies and playing Trivial Pursuit with her best friend and neighbor, Margaret St. John.
Some people say she was a bit of a hoarder, but in reality, she kept stuff around, just in case anybody needed it, particularly her grandkids. Plus, she grew up meagerly, in the shadow of the great depression with no father in the house. As a result, her home, garage and lawn resembled a blend of yard sale, thrift shop, and random roadside finds all just waiting for her kids and their families. Taking advantage of her bounty was almost a duty for us whenever we were there. She lived by the sea, so when we visited during the annual family beach vacation in Emerald Isle, NC, we had access to an endless supply of floats, umbrellas and kiddie pools, in various conditions, including sometimes a state of decay.
Her grandchildren, Torrey Moss (Renee), Taylor Moss, Kelli Brown (Kyle), Miranda Hawks, Mary Catherine Hawks, John Kokoszka, Bella Wyffels, Ava Wyffels and Abigail Sneed, can all have attest to her abundant givingness, but it didn't stop with their generation. Her great grandchildren - Fischer, Snowden, Halden, Adler and Arden (she called them her future law firm) - also benefited from her stash. If you didn't use it while you were there, she would lovingly and sometimes quite convincingly, encourage you to take it home "in case you needed it." As a result some of our homes took on the character of her own, forcing us to return items and sneak them back into their original place in her barrier island estate.
She had two specific hoarding fetishes - wicker and fabric/linens. Her decks and any other available space collectively formed a wicker museum. The collection spans the entire evolution of wicker from its inception and the only allowable way to dispose of any of it with her approval, was to allow it to decay naturally. I once tossed a collapsed, decaying wicker chair on the trash pile and when she saw it, her reaction made my life flash before my eyes. It is now a part of the soil. Her closets are packed, and I do mean packed, with rolls of fabric and linens of all kinds. She could supply any seamstress or small hotel for life.
To say Jean was generous and giving, would be like calling the Grand Canyon a ditch. She made "The Giving Tree'' look like Ebenezer Scrooge. She was the embodiment of a cheerful giver, and we all believed if she didn't think she would bleed to death, she would have lopped off her arm and given it to you if she thought you needed it.
You could not stop her from giving, much less scouring all the local yard and garage sales within a hundred mile radius of wherever she was on the globe any given Saturday morning for decades. Her battle cry of, "You have to get there early to get the good stuff," was one of the few things to motivate her to get up early. She had the sleeping habits of a cat, especially in her later years. She was a professional napper, a hall of famer. She and Bernie were often seen wearing matching black t-shirts with "Jesus took naps, be like Jesus," printed on the front in large white letters.
Mom had a huge heart for the underserved. One day her daughter Mary came to her to tell her the ice cream man, recently arrived from France, did not have a place to live. She invited him to stay in our basement. With Dad's blessing, the next thing we knew, a dude named Sigfried, with a strong French accent, was hanging out downstairs. We began to reap the benefit of free ice cream - yay mom! Thankfully, he was harmless. Mom never met a stranger.
She hated to see people suffering, especially the homeless and hungry children. When she made up her mind to help someone, you would be wise to stay out of her way. Her favorite charities reflected these passions. Her surviving children - Beth Moss (Steve), Nancy Hawks (Stephen), Dave Sneed (Rennie Marie), Mary Voss, and John Sneed (Dawn) - invite you to support her passion to help people and give to one of two local charities:
Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity & Newport ReStore (252) 223-2111 https://habitatcrystalcoast.org/donate/
The Hem of his Garment (910) 326-1811 Family Assistance (Food Pantry)
Make check payable to: WOEOM, P.O. Box 597, Swansboro, NC 28584
Memo: In memory of Jean Zahuranec
In the final years of her life she had two uplifting relationship blessings, like God was preparing her to be at peace. The first blessing was the friendship she had with her dear caregiver Liz Banks, a strong and devoted Scottish woman we think may have shared DNA with our mom. They both had a fierce and indomitable spirit, almost like sisters. They didn't take any baloney from anyone. She had a special way of making Mom feel like royalty. She pampered our mother like she was her own, and mom loved to hear her accent. Liz became family, and was right there at her side in the end.
Certainly the most powerful blessing of preparation was the resurrection of her relationship with Al. After 40 years, our father humbled himself to the entire family by recording the most sincere message of contrition for all of us to hear. It was the day of mom's 90th birthday, August 10, 2023, and he asked for mom's forgiveness for any hurt he caused her or the family. He told her how much he loved us all, and offered to help out in any way he could at mom's place. And of course this was all wrapped in the most heartfelt happy birthday speech he could muster. It was a wonderful gift, and when I played the message for her, she was beaming. Just last month they were chatting together like old friends after church. He has even become friends with Bernie. She was so delighted by this reconciliation after so many years.
She was ready to go, in charge to the end. Still giving. There was only one burial plot next to her mother, and she wanted her sister to have it, but the good Lord intervened through our father Al. He suggested asking if the twins could share the plot, and the cemetery agreed, so in accordance with her wishes, her cremated remains will be interred eventually, waiting for her twin sister in Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Kinston, NC. For now though, she would want us to eat and be happy, so there will be a celebration of life at St. Mildred Catholic Church in Swansboro, NC at 11am on Friday, July 19th, 2024. Bring your wicker.