Jean McMartin Rommes

Jean McMartin Rommes died February 15, 2026, at Wesley Life Edgewater in Des Moines, Iowa after a brief illness. She was the daughter of Wallace and Ruth (Crossman) McMartin, born on May 29, 1944 in Fairbury, NE. The family moved often, as her father was a government employee, finally moving to Celina, OH where she finished high school. She earned a BA at Michigan State University, an MS at Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Michigan State.

Her professional life included work in higher education and as an administrator and manager of organizations that provided residential and vocational supports to people with disabilities. She was a peer surveyor with CARF, International for 25 years. She developed COPD in 1985 and became very involved with the COPD Foundation and the American Lung Association, both in Iowa where she served on the local Board and nationally, serviced on the COPD Patient Advisory group. Through the COPD Foundation, she served on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, the Patient Engagement Committee, the Steering Committee for 360Net, as Chair of the Patient Powered Research Network; Steering Committee for the PIVOT project; and on the Steering Committees for the RELIANCE and the EQuiP studies. She was a patient advocate who worked hard to ensure that patients got good, factual information regarding their disease.

She was preceded her in death by her husband of 34 years, Everett Jay Rommes, her parents, Wallace and Ruth McMartin and her brother, Pierce McMartin. She is survived by her children: Bobbi Brown anbd partner Wade Anderson, Mary Tweet and partner Rob Saiers and Cathy Rommes, grandchildren Tyler, Dallas and his wife Kacie, and Ethan Brown, Erik and Mackenzie Tweet and great-grandchildren: McKenna, Hudson and Hazel Brown,

A memorial service will be held at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines on April 12 at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the COPD Foundation (www.COPDfoundation.org); the American Lung Association; the Edgewater Good Samaritan Fund or the UCDSM Foundation.