Obituaries

Jeanne Szafraniec Baran was a loving daughter, wife, mother, grand & great-grandmother, sister and  aunt and a very special friend. With her daughter by her side, she left this world in the early morning  hours of November 14, 2024 at the age of 105 years & 62 days. In spite of debilitating sight and  hearing problems, she always had a smile on her face, retaining her sense of humor and love of people  for all the days of her life WELL-LIVED. Her passing has left a giant hole in the hearts of many. 

Five score, five years and 62 days ago, Jeanne was born at home in Chicago to her Polish immigrant  parents John and Zofia (nee Szatkowska) on September 13, 1919.  

Jeanne came into this world at the height of the Spanish Flu. Her panorama of life witnessed:  Prohibition, The Chicago World’s Fair, Women’s Voting Rights, the Roaring Twenties, the founding of  the FBI, NATO and NASA, the Great Depression, the Hindenburg disaster, Pearl Harbor, WWII,  McCarthyism, the discovery of DNA, the polio vaccine, The Civil Rights Movement, the Interstate  Highway System, The Cold War, The Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Inventions of the television,  computers, the internet and Smartphones as well as the Age of Space Exploration and the First Man  landing on the Moon. She lived through 18 presidents starting with Woodrow Wilson.  

Jeanne met George near the end of WWII and when she visited him at Camp Pickett, Virginia, George  proposed and they were married by the Army Chaplain on April 28, 1945. They raised their children in  Chicago and then Westchester and In 1972 moved to Mesa, Arizona. In 1977, at the age of 58 (when  most people are thinking of retirement), George started Twin Knolls Supply and Jeanne opened a craft store, Gamma Jeanne’s Hobby Hut. Her business acumen was: Hugs are always returnable! She  was a source of inspiration to many since she didn’t “retire” from her store until the age of 85! 

Jeanne was predeceased by her parents (John & Zofia), George (her husband of 58 years), her dear  son Dennis, her son-in-law/gambling partner Peter and her brothers Chester and Eddy. 

Jeanne is survived by her loving daughter, Georgine. Jeanne was also the proud grandmother of  Andrew Dennis (Gisella nee Foto) and Joseph Peter (Kathi nee Osinski), as well as a lively great grandmother to (almost) 9-year old Finn Michael. (Our grief is just LOVE … with no place to go.) 

Jeanne will be entombed with George and Dennis in a crypt in the Chapel of Queen of Heaven  Mausoleum (Hillside).

Our family would like to thank everyone who has “held us up” during this time of immense sadness –  and in recent months to her Lighthouse hospice nurse Heather and her CNA Dee Dee (the hot towel  lady) … and to her amazing caregivers, Judy and Angel. 

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in Jeanne’s honor to: St. Jude’s Children’s  Hospital or to the charity of your choice.

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