Jean Kellner Durkee

Jean Kellner Durkee of Austin, Texas passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at the age of 90. She will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, teacher, author, artist, and friend.

Jean is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Robert R. Durkee, Jr. and brother, Herbert E. Kellner, Jr. She is survived by her three sons, Robert R. Durkee, III and wife Jill, Mark K. Durkee and wife Debby, and Todd G. Durkee and wife Carol; seven grandchildren, Sarah Jean Durkee Feola and husband Mark, Robert R. Durkee, IV and wife Brooke, Alexandra Nicole Durkee, Ross James Durkee, Cole Gibson Durkee, Madison Elizabeth Durkee Ieyoub and husband Jacob, and Scott Garon Durkee; one great grandchild, Robert R. Durkee, V, and three more great grandchildren on the way.

Jean was born in Chicago, Illinois to Herbert Ernest and Lucy Stevens Kellner on February 7, 1932. She began elementary school at PS 23 in New York City and moved extensively as her father, Commander Kellner, was in the U. S. Navy and worked as an architect on projects around the world. When her father retired, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas and Jean graduated from Alamo Heights High School. She attended The University of Texas at Austin and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics-Child Development in 1953.

Jean and Bob were married at Alamo Heights Methodist Church in San Antonio and moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where she worked as the director of two different church-affiliated nursery schools and Bob began a petroleum engineering career.

As microwave ovens became a standard part of households in the 1970’s, Jean decided this unique appliance should be able to do more than heat up a cup of coffee. Shortly thereafter, Jean founded Tout de Suite a la Microwave, Inc. and sold more than 400,000 copies of the three cookbooks she authored: Tout de Suite a la Microwave I & II and VOILA! She conducted microwave cooking classes nationwide, appeared on television cooking shows, and produced a video entitled Microwave Cooking—Tout de Suite.

Jean and Bob moved to Austin in 1989 and were able to rekindle many of their college friendships. Jean’s activities included memberships in the Junior League of Austin, The Women’s Symphony League, Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church, Chapter BQ-P.E.O., Daughters of the Republic of Texas and Daughters of the American Revolution. Jean served on the Resident Council and Scholarship Committee at Querencia at Barton Creek.

Jean was also active at the University of Texas at Austin. Her activities included memberships in the Littlefield Society, the Chancellor’s Council, and The Texas Memorial Museum. She served on the School of Human Ecology Advisory Council Visiting Committee and was elected the committee’s treasurer in 2000. She received the 1992 Community Service Award and the 1993 Alumni of the Year Award in Human Ecology. Jean and Bob were donors to the Seay Building CDFR Resource/Toy Room, and they established an Excellence Endowment for the School of Human Ecology in 2008. Jean served on the College of Natural Science Advisory Council since 1992.

Memorial Services will be on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church, 7127 Bee Caves Road, Austin, Texas 78746.

Donations in Jean's memory can be made to the Jean Kellner Durkee Excellence Endowment in Human Ecology - The University of Texas at Austin (https://txsci.net/durkeeendowment), the American Heart Association (https://www.heart.org), or the charity of your choice.