Jean Eleanor Lobenstein Sledge

1942 - 2021

JEAN ELEANOR
LOBENSTEIN SLEDGE

LAKELAND - Jean Eleanor Lobenstein Sledge died March 31, 2021, from the complications of Alzheimer's Disease, from which she had suffered for five years. Born on November 27, 1942, in Topeka, Kansas, she attended a two-room country school until the family's move to the university town of Carbondale, Illinois, where her father became a professor. She graduated with academic honors from high school and was the recipient of the prestigious DAR award. (Her award was nearly derailed by her mother, in protest of the despicable treatment of soprano Marian Anderson by the DAR.) She graduated in Business Education from SIU, where she met her husband Larry, and later earned a master's degree from USF.
After becoming a CPA, she was partner in the Dade City accounting firm, Brown, Fenton, Lynch, and Sledge, CPAs, and later was manager of the tax department of the Lakeland firm, Nunez, Collins, and Touchton, CPAs. She was active in the Pasco Council of 100, was president of the Polk County Estate Planning Council, and was reportedly the first female inductee of the Dade City Rotary. In her retirement, she found many opportunities for service and was recognized as Volunteer of the Year in 2012 by Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles William Lobenstein and DeLaura Vivian Whipple Lobenstein, and an infant sister, Judith. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Larry J. Sledge, children Michael Sean Sledge (Tune) and Sarah Catherine Sledge (Tom), and granddaughter Abigail Sledge. She also leaves siblings John F. Lobenstein (RoseAnn), Thomas C. Lobenstein (Nancy), Elizabeth C. Freeman, Kenneth W. Lobenstein (Patricia), and Mary L. Bess.
She was a lifelong lover of music, whether singing in high school, attending concerts, participating in the Lakeland Choral Society and Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, or singing in the choirs of All Saints' Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church of Lakeland, and First United Methodist Church of Dade City. And her passion for travel took her across the United States, to Canada, to Europe, China, and South America.
Deepest thanks are expressed to the caregivers of Merrill Gardens, Champions Gate, who tenderly attended to her care during the last two years. To honor Jean's memory, please consider a donation to the Jean E. Sledge Fund for Women's Health, care of the GiveWell Foundation of Lakeland, 1515 S Fla. Ave, Lakeland, FL, or the Alzheimer's Association.
A memorial service is planned for June 5, 2021, at 1:00 p.m., All Saints' Episcopal Church, and will be livestreamed on the church's website for those who cannot attend.