Jeanese Rowell

1933 - 2016

Jeanese Crist Rowell

March 14, 1933 - July 17, 2016

Jeanese ("Dede") Grace Crist was born on March 14, 1933 in Palo Alto to Eugenia Crist, an artist, and Frank Lee Crist, an attorney. Known as "Dede" to her 19 grandchildren, Jeanese attended Jordan Middle School, Castilleja, and Palo Alto High School (class of 1950). Jeanese went to the University of Oregon and then transferred to Stanford University, graduating with a B. A. in 1955. Upon graduation, Jeanese traveled to France and Italy with two college classmates, marking the beginning of her travels around this amazing planet. Her childhood started the journey of a colorful woman who would enhance the Bay Area community with her 83 years of life.
Jeanese started her career in San Francisco for US Steel as a member of their Advertising Department. One day in the fall of 1955, Jeanese got into an elevator and struck up a conversation with a tall, handsome man from the Sales Department, Robert (Bob) Rowell, who had just begun his career in the city after returning from a three-year stint in the Marine Corps. The two young adults hit it off from that first conversation and soon after began dating. Highlights from this time included Stanford football games where Jeanese's two brothers. Skip and Roger Crist, played, a trip to Yosemite, Cal basketball games, and an impressive streak of 35 consecutive days of going on dates. After Bob proposed on a rainy night in Sausalito, the two went on to marry on August 25th, 1956, the beginning of a 59-year marriage.
Jeanese and Bob first settled in South Palo Alto with a cottage on Harvard Avenue while Jeanese worked as a secretary in Town and County Village. Soon, they moved to another home on Louis Court, where Jeanese began her role as a mother, giving birth to her first three children, Denease (Dene), Gregory (Gregg), and Alyssa (Lysa). Also while in this new home on Louis Court, Dede began her career as an interior decorator that was, according to Bob, "unbeknownst to her family". In vintage Jeanese flair, she designed every inch of the home that allowed the couple to eventually sell their second home as the highest priced Eichler house at the time—the first indication of her design potential.
The couple bought a larger home on Coleridge Avenue in February 1962, a move that allowed Jeanese to fulfill her dream of raising a large family. Eventually, Jeanese would give birth to four more children in the Coleridge home, Theresa (Tess), Roderick (Deke), William Blake (Buddy), and Robert Joshua (Josh). The ever-expanding family of seven would cherish this home as the place that all of the children grew up in, felt the love of their parents, and created lifelong memories that can be laughed about to this day. The family would all be raised in Palo Alto as healthy children in a Chapter that remarkably drew out no true drama. As parents, Jeanese and Robert instilled deep-seated values in their children. The family took up the rigors of the local education system, partook in athletic events ranging from swim races at the Menlo Circus Club—where the family still remains members—learning to ski at Dodge Ridge, Tahoe and Sun Valley, and junior tennis tournaments through out the West.
Dede lived her life in a style that was all her own. For example, during annual trips to Pinecrest the kids would learn how to sail with Jeanese taking the children out to the middle of the lake, telling them to get back before dusk, and then leaving them with purposely capsized Snipe sailing boats. When her oldest boy, Gregg, was too afraid to dive off the block at a swim meet, he received a kick in the behind from his mother to help him get started. Dede challenged her husband Bob with the same tough love when she took him up to the mountains for his first time, brought him up to the top of the lift, and said that he was, "athletic enough to figure it out for himself." All seven children and Bob remember Dede as a strong-willed woman who wanted to raise independent kids that would discover their own passions.
In growing up in the Palo Alto community, the Rowell clan would often be seen together as a tight-knit group of children whose bond lasts today. The lessons from Jeanese paid of with all seven children graduating from major universities: four to UC Berkeley—which prompted Dede to switch her rooting allegiance away from Stanford—one to San Jose State University, one to the University of Arizona, and one to the University of North Carolina. Jeanese took great pride in her children and was gratified that all seven children remained in California to raise their respective families.
Jeanese managed to also start her business as an interior decorator during the abundance of free time she had in raising seven children. Enabled by the rigors of child bearing, Jeanese figured she could manage to start a career in the design World. Jeanese successfully landed clients through out the West Coast that ranged from hotels, apartment complexes, professional offices, and residential homes all while working from her home in Palo Alto. Dede combined her keen eye, friendly smile, and a passion for hard work to make an impact on her business community. The highlights of Jeanese's work can be seen in sites including the Stanford Park Hotel, Lafayette Park Hotel, and The Bodega Bay Hotel. Eventually, Dede opened up her first commercial office in downtown Palo Alto in 1980 where she would go on to hire two of her daughters. This woman truly loved her profession and remains a symbol for her family about what it means to combine passion for ones' work with a self-starter initiative.
On top of the rich life Jeanese already lived, she found other ways to grow, especially with her identity as a tour guide for her grandkids and as a travel companion with Bob. Dede insisted on being viewed as the fun grandmother who experienced the joys of life as her grandchildren experienced the same. In this role, Dede fished, skied, river rafted—providing all the necessary water guns—repelled waterfalls, rode horses, and perfected the art of purchasing firecracker for the annual Thanksgiving dinners at Seascape. With her grandchildren, Dede traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, and Sun Valley, ID. She taught her grandchildren the fun of exploring and meeting new people, and that one is never too old to enjoy a street side popsicle. Into the later years of life, this fantastic woman continued to grow as her kids provided her with grandchildren. With Bob, the two started out with a trip to the Mana Kai and never looked back. Before passing, Jeanese went on a cruise to Turkey & Greece, attended the poppy festivals in Holland, frequented her beloved Cabo saw the Terracotta soldiers in China, experienced the plains of Africa on a safari ride, and traveled to England, Portugal, and France. Memories from her last Chapter reveal the legacy of this woman who had a way to reap the benefits of life as she saw the wonders of the World.
On July 17th, Jeanese Rowell passed away with ease in her home on Coleridge Avenue in Palo Alto. Family surrounded her on the warm Sunday evening. Jeanese was preceded in death by her parents Frank Lee and Jean Crist, and her brother, Skip Crist. Dede is survived by her husband Robert Rowell, brother Roger Crist, seven children, their spouses, and her 19 grandchildren—Dene Rowell and Chris Badger (Jackson, Carson, Macklan), Gregg Rowell (Jordan, Zach), Lysa and Terry Haught (Ryanne, Riley), Tess Rowell Weber (Mattie, Blake, Garrett), Deke and Kristin Rowell (Grace, Eleanor, Will), Buddy and Alicia Rowell (Robby, Lexi, Claire), Josh and Beth Rowell (Luke, Tate, and Lila).
The family would like to thank those that took such wonderful care of Dede: Tivi, Fina, Malikia, Mai Tai, Lexi, Eric, Beth, Mary, and the staff at Village Doctors. Their comfort and care went above and beyond and their love for Dede was apparent to all. A private family burial has already been held and there will be a celebration of Dede's life later in August.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Riekes Center (www.riekes.com/donate) or East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring (www.epatt.org/donate). Additionally, Dede would want friends to look for the Rowell Family banner at the Big Game this Fall, to live out life as we are all capable of doing, and to keep in mind that learning new things is not attached age, health, nor abilities—there must simply be a desire to learn.