Jeanne W. Whittaker

Jeanne Willcox Whittaker passed away peacefully on November 1, 2023, in Golden, Colorado having lived a very full life. Over her 94 years, Jeanne made many life-long friends in Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, and Colorado, all of the places she called home. She challenged people with her ideas, enjoyed being active, was adored by friends and family, and was described as “a force” by one of her grandchildren.

Jeanne was born in 1929 in Columbus, Ohio, where she attended Columbus School for Girls. In 1947 she attended Vassar College where she studied art history. After 2 years at Vassar, she returned to Columbus and transferred to the Ohio State University where she continued her studies in art history and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Jeanne married Philip Whittaker in 1951, shortly after she graduated. They then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where they started their life together.

Eventually Phil took a position with Sears Roebuck which took them to Evanston, Illinois where they raised their four daughters. In Evanston Jeanne was a leader in the Junior League supporting a milk bank for mothers, served on the Board of Unity Nursery School, held many roles in the Evanston school districts’ PTAs, led Girl Scout troops, was active in the YMCA and served on the Board of Directors of the Evanston Art Center. In her “spare” time she continued to enjoy painting and drawing, the beaches of Lake Michigan, visiting her family farm in the summers in Gahanna, Ohio and taking spring breaks with her mother and siblings’ families in Sarasota, Florida.

Jeanne and Phil retired to Golden Colorado where they enjoyed being with family, hiking on their nearby mountain property, and making new friends at the Golden Community Center’s Front Porch for Active Seniors. In retirement, they visited their daughters in New York, California, and Maryland and traveled to new places such as the Panama Canal, Alaska, and the Yucatan Peninsula. In later years in Golden, Jeanne enjoyed shooting pool with her friends at the Front Porch, “getting dirt under her fingernails” in her garden, and hikes to the top of “the mountain” in Golden Gate Canyon. She was a strong independent woman and supported protecting the natural world in many different ways.

Jeanne was predeceased by her father and mother, Richard and Marcella Willcox, her brother Roderick Willcox, and her husband of nearly 59 years. Jeanne is survived by her sister Marcia McHam, daughter Linda D’Epagnier (Jim), daughter Marcia Reilly (Kevin), daughter Sara Whittaker (Jon Schwartz), daughter Carrie Capuco (Ben), eleven grandchildren (Kristin, William, Cheryl, Patrick, Meghan, Kylee, Blake, Juliana, Brendan, Paige, and Marcella), plus six great grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held Mothers Day weekend 2024. Please contact the family for information or to share a memory. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to:

The Foothills Art Center https://foothillsartcenter.org/donate/ or the Foothills Animal Shelter https://foothillsanimalshelter.org/tribute-and-memorial-giving/