Jean Marie Honeyman

1928 - 2022

Jean Marie Honeyman
September 6, 2022
San Luis Obispo, California - Jean Marie Honeyman, 94, passed away at home in San Luis Obispo on September 6, 2022 with her daughter and friends around her.
She was born on May 1, 1928 in Warren, Minnesota to Dr. Anton and Mrs. Florence Nerad. The family soon moved out west. They drove from Minnesota in October of 1928 with two year old brother John in the back seat and five month old Jean in her cradle hanging from the ceiling of a 1928 Ford for the trek to California.
Jean grew up in Wilmington, California and graduated from Westlake School for Girls in 1946. She earned her teaching credential in 1950 from Scripps College in Claremont, California where she made many lifelong friends. She accepted a job after college at White Sands Missile Range in Las Cruces, New Mexico as a mathematician. There she met and later married John Honeyman in 1953 and then their son Bill was born in 1955. They moved to San Luis Obispo in 1956 where they had two daughters, Jan and Tena. Jean became Dean of Girls at San Luis Obispo Jr. High School then after 4 years joined the staff at San Luis Obispo High School where she taught mathematics (Algebra and Geometry). She worked for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District for 34 years. During that time she was active with the High School foreign exchange program, AFS. She was also a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church in San Luis Obispo. From the age of 26, Jean was an active member for 71 years in local chapters of the P.E.O. sisterhood, a philanthropic organization where women help to advance the education of women through grants, scholarships, awards and loans. She was also involved as a member in the masonic organization Eastern Star. In her free time, Jean enjoyed playing bridge with the ladies of bridge club and she loved watching football. After she retired from teaching, she worked part-time at a travel agency to get ideas for future trips. She had a lifelong love for travel and was grateful to have the opportunity to travel to five of the seven continents and every state in America. She always looked forward to planning her next big adventure. Several weeks before she passed away, she told a good friend that she was planning a trip to go see her parents and that's exactly where she went. Now she is on her biggest adventure ever!
Jean devoted her life to family and friends. She was known to give any time she could for good causes. Friends called her fun, loving, and full of life. She was the rock of her family and has said that her 3 children were her reason for life.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Dr. John R. Nerad; her husband, John P. Honeyman; and her great granddaughter, Stella Heath. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Terrie Nerad; son William Honeyman and his wife Jana of Longmont, Colorado; her daughter Jan VanDiver and husband Mike of Mountain View, California; and daughter Christena Honeyman of San Luis Obispo, California. Jean had five grandchildren, Amanda Honeyman, Kelli (Honeyman) Heath, Jimmy VanDiver, Ashley VanDiver and Jaden Honeyman; and three great-grandchildren, Zooey and Oliver Heath, and Jake Honeyman.
Services will be at the First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo on September 30, 2022 at 2pm. Reception to follow. Flowers are welcome. Donations in her memory for scholarships may be made as listed: for P.E.O., make checks payable to: Chapter XZ, P.E.O. (please write in the memo of the check "Jean Honeyman Memorial for STAR Scholarship"). ADDRESS: Trout and Associates, P. O. Box 880 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 or for CalRTA scholarship fund (please write in the memo of the check "In memory of Jean Honeyman") ADDRESS: California Retired Teachers Association, San Luis Obispo County Division 23 Scholarship Foundation, Edward Jones Investments 501 Harbor Street, Morro Bay, CA 93442.