Jean Louise "Jeanne" Gallaway

Jean "Jeanne" Louise Gallaway, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Thursday, July 17, 2025, at the age of 85. True to her spunky nature, she clung desperately to life until the very end and was known for always sharing a smile and a wave at her assisted living home. Jeanne was born on August 23, 1939, in Youngstown, Ohio. Her childhood was spent practicing the piano under her mother's tutelage and racing her bicycle around her Canfield, Ohio, neighborhood. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 1961 with a degree in Nursing and was married to Bob that fall. It was the beginning of a lifetime of adventure. Jeanne's long-lasting career was that of "mother" and she never really retired. She managed many relocations of their household in support of Bob's career and was ready to host dinner guests the day after the moving van left. Over the years, Jeanne and Bob were able to design and build several homes and Jeanne loved making every room a cozy, beautiful place to spend time. She enjoyed antiques and brought home interesting collectibles from their extensive, global travel related to Bob's work. But her true love was spending time in the kitchen. Wherever they lived, Jeanne's kitchen was always bustling with new recipes, bread-making, or her famous New Year's Day celebration with pork, sauerkraut, and black-eyed peas for good luck. She could be found demonstrating food processors at the department stores in Fort Wayne in the 1970's before most folks had heard of a food processor. When she was unable to find the imported Italian grocery products she wanted in Fort Wayne, she opened a grocery and deli in conjunction with an Italian restaurant and shared her passion for food with the city. Eventually, Jeanne built the kitchen of her dreams in their Mankato, Minnesota, home where she finally had her own wood-fired pizza oven. Always passionate to learning more about good food, she attended a cooking school in Positano, Italy, another dream come true. Jeanne and Bob spent 25 years on their magnificent property next to the Maple River in Mankato. Caring for and appreciating their home and land was a true joy for them. Jeanne moved back to Fort Wayne in 2020 to be near her family. They are grateful to have had this time with her. Jeanne is survived by her children, Nan Hartup of Mason, Ohio; Aaron of Lagrange, Indiana; Erik (Dawn) of Huntertown, Indiana; grandchildren Nick and Emily Hartup, and Tyler (Paige) Gallaway; great grandchildren Kinnley, Kyler, and Korbyn Gallaway; and her beloved sister-in-law, Jayne Lyons. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, and her parents, George and Doris Ockerman. A small family gathering will be held at Ridge Cemetery near Van Wert, Ohio. Arrangements were made at Divine Mercy Funeral Home-Cedar Canyons, 1986 W, Cedar Canyons Rd., Huntertown, IN 46748. Online condolences may be left at www.dicinemercyfuneralhome.com. To send a flower arrangement in memory of Jean "Jeanne" Louise Gallaway, please click here to visit our sympathy store. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Jean "Jeanne" Louise Gallaway, please click here to visit our sympathy store.