Jean Gwendoline DeGEARE

Jean Gwendoline DeGeare (age 91) passed away peacefully of natural causes on March 27, 2023, in Billerica, Massachusetts. Jean was born on September 25, 1931, to Charles Arthur Edmund Silsbury and Gwendoline Ridgley Silsbury in Clapham, London, England. Jean was the oldest child, followed by her sister Yvonne and her brothers David and Brian. As a child, she had a knack for numbers, excelled in school, and was a kind and thoughtful big sister.

In 1963, Jean and her first husband, John Geary, emigrated to the USA with their two young sons, Paul and Nigel. They traveled from England to New York City on the RMS Queen Elizabeth and by Greyhound bus to Provo, Utah, where John would enroll in college at Brigham Young University. From Utah, they moved to Eugene, Oregon, and finally settled in Cheney, Washington, in 1970 and had their last child, Alyson. Jean was a kind and devoted mother, loving and serving her children throughout their lives.

Jean joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1939 when she was eight years old, and that would become a defining characteristic of her life. She was very active in the church in her teenage and young adult years, even becoming the president of the Young Women's Organization for the whole of the British Isles at the age of 22. Jean went on to serve in numerous capacities in the church throughout her life, including Primary President, Relief Society President, chorister, teacher, and temple worker. Jean had a love of genealogy and family history and spent countless hours researching thousands of members of her own family. She also loved helping others research their family lines and served in the Family History Center at the Spokane LDS Temple for seven years after her retirement.

Jean was an extremely capable person, a hard worker, and very quick to learn new things. She ran a children's daycare center in her home for many years, and then in the late 1970s, she became an office manager at the Cheney Medical Clinic when computers were first introduced into the workplace. She developed in-depth computer skills and later transitioned to the IT department at Rockwood Clinic in Spokane and retired as their IT Director in 2008.

In 1987, Jean married her second husband, Thomas DeGeare. They moved to the Spokane Valley and spent many happy years there, serving in the church and developing lasting friendships. Jean always loved music and singing. She sang in many choirs over the years, including dedicatory services for the London and Seattle LDS temples. Jean had a quiet way of supporting and serving others. She was always a proper British lady, never quite losing the accent that tied her to her roots. She was known for her mince pies at Christmas and for faithfully sending birthday and Christmas cards to her children and grandchildren each year. Even in the last years of her life, as her health declined, she was long-suffering, gentle, and kind to all those who cared for her.

Jean will be remembered for her devoted service to her family, her faithfulness to God, and her strength in the face of adversity. She is survived by two of her children, Paul Geary (Gina) of Sammamish, Washington, and Alyson Swiga (Kenneth) of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. She is preceded in death by her son, Nigel Geary; and her husband, Thomas DeGeare. Jean is a grandmother to Andrea, Michael, Lisa, Johnathan, Jacob, and Zawadi and a great-grandmother

to Clark, Beckham, Emily, Kyson, Quinnton, Amiya, and Iris. She was also a mother and grandmother figure to many others throughout her life.

We will honor Jean on Saturday, April 15, with a viewing at 10:00 am and a funeral at 11:00 am at the LDS church at 14111 E. 16th Ave., Spokane Valley, Washington (near the intersection of 16th and Evergreen Road). All are welcome to attend.