Jeannine Powers was born Jeannine Maria Victorine Anne Julienne Bollen on May 1, 1958 to René and Fanny Bollen in Alleur, a province of Liège, Belgium. From the beginning, she was a fiercely independent soul, sneaking out of her parents’ house as a toddler to meet her neighbor for a chocolate breakfast each morning. In 1961, she emigrated with her parents from Belgium to the United States where they settled in California near Fanny’s cousin, Antionette Rapp, in Seal Beach. There, Jeannine’s mischievous streak continued - she was known for stealing ice cream from the nearby convenience store (the clerk let her because she was just too cute) and beating up the neighborhood kids at the local bus stop when she thought they were poking fun at her (they had to move the bus stop).
Jeannine attended J. H. McGaugh Elementary School, where she met her lifelong friends Lisa, Cindy, and April. Together, they joined in the drill team, band, and had a brief, but humorous, foray into cheerleading. A testament to the loyal friend and confidant Jeannine was, these women would remain the dearest of friends to the end. Jeannine went on to attend Huntington Beach High School, where she excelled in math, french (of course!), and tennis, and graduated a semester early in 1976.
Jeannine was a protective older sister to Christine, who remembers her as always being the glamorous older sibling you wanted to hang around with. Family was a foremost priority to Jeannine, a value passed down to her by her mom Fanny, who missed the family she left behind in Belgium and sought to keep her small family unit as close as possible. When Fanny was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, Jeannine visited her parents almost daily and helped care for her mom. Later, she did all that she was capable of doing to care for her father during his prolonged illness, even as she fought through her own treatments and surgeries.
While they had already been neighbors on Crestview Avenue in Seal Beach for some time, Jeannine officially met her husband Bruce Powers in 1976, when he was knocked off the back of his friend’s motorcycle (who was showing off in an attempt to impress Jeannine) and she gave him a ride home in her 1969 Camaro. Afterwards, she would stop at Bruce's house to show him her great dane puppy, Slate, and eventually Bruce took the hint and asked her on their first date: a daylong ski trip to Mammoth. Jeannine had been the girl-next-door that everyone admired, the gorgeous, elegant and demure Belgian girl. Bruce was taken aback by how genuine and down-to-earth she was, and even more surprised that she seemed to enjoy spending time with him! They were married on August 11, 1979.
A wiz at the books and all things math, Jeannine went on to take courses in accounting at CSU Long Beach. She carried this love of numbers into her profession as the operations manager of a bank in Seal Beach. At that same time, she helped her husband Bruce to open the family business, Autowerkes Inc., in 1980. She continued on as the sole bookkeeper for the business for almost 40 years. Later, she stepped in to help manage her parents’ business in Seal Beach after the death of her mother.
In 1985, Jeannine and Bruce welcomed their first child, Nicole, followed by Katherine in 1988. She raised her two daughters to grow into resilient women through her own example of strong independence and dignified compassion. She was a devoted mother who was dedicated to her daughters’ education, spending many hours volunteering in their classrooms at Saints Simon and Jude School, and later supporting and encouraging each of their athletic passions and creative endeavors throughout high school and college.
Jeannine was ecstatic to become a grandmother to Nicole’s sons Russell and Weston. Months were spent deciding what she wanted her future grandchildren to call her. This was serious business and “Grandma” just wouldn’t do! After much deliberation, she decided on “Gigi” and has been known affectionately as this to her grandsons. She enjoyed thoroughly spoiling them at every opportunity including: trips to the zoo, train rides, and of course Belgian chocolate for breakfast when they spent the night.
When the family moved to Orange Park Acres in 2007, Jeannine’s lifelong love of animals came full-circle. She gathered a happy menagerie of horses, chickens, dogs, cats, ducks, and even a miniature donkey, Marcel. She meticulously gardened, created and cared for a home that would host countless Sunday night dinners, holidays, and family celebrations - big and small.
Jeannine was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in April 2017. Ever brave and resilient, she fought valiantly and persevered through numerous surgeries and treatments. We will forever be grateful for all that she endured just to give us more time with her.
Jeannine passed away on Good Friday, April 2, 2021, a little after midnight in her home in Orange Park Acres, California. She was surrounded by her husband, daughters, and dogs. She was predeceased by her mother, Fanny Eugenie Julienne Bollen (née Vandercappel, 1935-2004) and her father, René Eduoard Bollen (1934-2020). She is survived by her husband of 41 years Gordon Bruce Powers, daughters Nicole Rene Perrine and Katherine Powers Noland, grandsons Russell and Weston Perrine, sons-in-law Gregory Perrine and James E. Noland III, and her sister Christine Hedin. She will be greatly missed by all who loved her, though a light like hers can never be extinguished.
Medical Acknowledgments:
Jeannine’s family wishes to thank Dr. Joanne Mortimer, Breast Cancer Oncologist, City of Hope, for the great care she gave during her four-year battle with breast cancer. We also wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Latreana Taylor, health aid, who brought sunshine into our home on the stormiest of days. Lastly, we wish to acknowledge the many doctors and nurses who contributed their knowledge and compassion to Jeannine’s treatment: Dr. James Burris, Optum Health; Louise Cheung-Wong, PA, City of Hope; Dr. Mike Y. Chen, City of Hope; Dr. Travis Scudday, Hoag Irvine; Drs. Craig Cox and Shane Lloyd, Hoag Newport; Dr. Sara Hurvitz, UCLA; and Dr. Zorawar S. Noor, UCI.
Family Acknowledgements
We deeply appreciate the kind words, prayers, and all of the support given to Jeannine and our family. We also wish to gratefully acknowledge your expressions of sympathy, as well as acts of kindness, great and small, during Jeannine’s last weeks.
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