Jean Marie Ewing

Jean Marie Fryer Ewing
August 27, 1928 – May 7, 2025
Jean Marie Fryer Ewing, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, nurse, and friend, passed away peacefully at the age of 96. Born on August 27, 1928, in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, Jean was the daughter of John and Helen Quinn Fryer. She was one of five sisters and is preceded in death by her parents, husband, and sister Lillian Corcoran.
Jean is survived by her loving children, Linda Ewing of Waukegan, IL; Beverly Bires of Ten Mile, TN; Barbara Greiner of Marion, IA; and Teresa Matias (Charlie) of Gurnee, IL. She was a proud nana of seven, great-grandmother to 14, and great-great-grandmother to two.
Jean met her husband, William L. Ewing, while working in Washington, D.C., and the two were married on August 5, 1950, at Naval Base Treasure Island in San Francisco, CA. A dedicated Navy wife, Jean embraced life across multiple postings, from San Diego and Washington, D.C. to the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois, where the couple eventually settled. The couple loved to argue and loved to dance. William died in 2024.
A 1949 graduate of St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing, Jean began her career at Georgetown University Hospital caring for new mothers and their babies. She later resumed her nursing career in Illinois, working at Lake Forest Hospital for 42 years until her retirement at age 80. Jean served as a charge nurse in the surgical unit, then transitioned to maternity services, where her compassion and innovation left a lasting impact. In the 1970s, she pioneered an ostomy care program at the hospital, helping patients at home before such services were widely available.
Her exceptional service earned her numerous honors, including the renaming of Lake Forest Hospital's top nursing award in her honor - the Jean Ewing Nursing Excellence Award.
Jean was known not only for her professional accomplishments but also for her generosity, leadership, and community spirit. She led Girl Scout troops, founded a teen center in Navy housing, and made sure her children had swimming lessons. She found great joy in returning to Carbondale each summer for family reunions by the lake – her only annual vacation. At home in Waukegan, she found peace in her garden - where a backyard pool once stood.
Jean's legacy lives on in the generations she cared for - both within her family and through decades of nursing excellence. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jean's name to Northwestern Memorial Foundation (donordrive.com) or by mail to: Northwestern Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 734985, Chicago, Illinois, 60673-4985.
Visitation for Jean will be from 4:00 - 8:00 PM on Friday May 16th at McMurrough Funeral Chapel, 101 Park Pl, Libertyville. Funeral Mass will be held at 12:00 PM Noon on Saturday May 17th at St. Dismas Catholic Church, 2600 Sunset Ave, Waukegan with a visitation at the church one hour prior to Mass. Entombment at Ascension Cemetery to follow Mass. Funeral info (847) 362-2626.