Jean Stefanik

December 14, 1934 - August 21, 2025 Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Jean Stefanik entered into eternal peace on Thursday, August 21, 2025, in Worthington, Ohio, at the age of 90. Born Francis Jean Yanosik in Rices Landing, Pennsylvania, Jean was the youngest of six children of Anna Ceresna Yanosik and James Yanosik. She later chose to go by "Jean," the name everyone knew her by. Jean was a majorette at Jefferson High School, where she met a smart athlete named Mike Stefanik. Both members of the Class of 1952, they became instant sweethearts and were married on August 14, 1954. Together, they raised five children, and their marriage spanned nearly seven decades until Mike's passing in 2023 - a loss Jean felt deeply. Jean went on to attend Penn State University, studying Home Economics as she and Mike began building their life together in Uniontown, PA. In the 1980s, Mike's career took the family west to Southern California, where they lived until 2022. Shortly after the move to California, Jean began working at the Employment Development Department (EDD) as an Executive Assistant for 25 years, where she made many friends, continuing to go on annual IAPES trips with them well beyond retirement. She was a lifelong lover of the arts, especially music, and became a patron of the Orange County Performing Arts Symphony, enjoying everything from classical works to pop concerts. Jean was a stylish and classy woman. She was never without a fabulous shade of lipstick on and was known for her perfectly coiffed hair and fun costume jewelry. She was a woman of quiet strength, someone who listened more than she spoke - and when she did speak, those around her listened closely. Her warm presence drew others to her. She loved to laugh, and her smile was contagious. Jean found joy in life's simple pleasures: she appreciated a hamburger or a perfectly charred hot dog, being outdoors, tending to her rose garden, reading the newspaper, and watching the hummingbirds at her feeder. Dogs brought a smile to her face. Known as the card shark, Jean was a subtly fierce competitor at the card table. Jean especially enjoyed games of pinochle and rummy - often asking, "Why do you have all the aces?" then proceeding to play her hand full of aces the very next turn. Jean was adventurous and was up for anything, she wanted to be a part of the action, no matter what it was. Every New Year's Day, she cooked pork and dumplings for good luck. Jean's Catholic faith guided her life. She lived her values through kindness, never raising her voice or speaking unkindly of anyone. She had a unique ability for making those around her feel comfortable, accepted, and loved. People were allowed to be who they truly were around her. That was her gift to the world. Jean is lovingly remembered by her daughters: Charmane Vargulich, Sandra Stefanik, Lois Cappella, and Donna Leigh-Osborne. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Jaclyn Zepnick, Michael Canalez, Trey Osborne, and Holden Osborne. As well as her sisters: Barbara Nickler and Madeline Dragich. She is reunited in heaven with her husband of 69 years, Mike Stefanik and their son, Michael James Stefanik, who passed away at age 29 in 1991; and her siblings Helen Bruce, Margaret Yanosik, and Joseph Yanosik who all preceded her in death. A funeral mass will be held in Jean's honor at St. Peter's in Columbus, Ohio, with burial at Mount Saint Macrina in Uniontown, PA.