Catherine Jeane Worthington, age 94, passed away quietly on Aug. 13. This gracious mother of seven children joined her husband, Joseph; her son, Peter; and her daughter, Barbara, in the arms of Jesus in heaven.
Jeane, as she was known, was born in Owosso, Mich., on June 13, 1921, to Mildred Irene Pruden and Edgar Sterling Reid.
A popular and vivacious redhead, she was the middle child of three with her older sister, Beth, who lives in South Carolina, and her younger brother, Richard, who is deceased. Jeane graduated from Farmington High in 1939 and from Ypsilanti Normal College (later called Eastern Michigan University) in 1943. She majored in elementary education and taught fourth and fifth grades in Battle Creek, Mich.
Tiring of the winters in Michigan and longing for the beach and the sun, Jeane moved to Miami and got a job as a ticket agent for Eastern Air Lines in downtown Miami. While working as a ticket agent, she met and fell in love with Joseph Arliss Worthington, a fellow ticket agent at Eastern. They were married in January 1948. With the opening of the new Rickenbacker Causeway linking Miami to Key Biscayne, Jeane and Joe moved their growing family to Key Biscayne, Fla., in 1950. They were one of the first families to take advantage of the Mackle Construction Company offering new homes on the island for $9,540, with just $500 down. Jeane became a “stay at home” mother taking their seven children to the Key Biscayne Beach Club almost daily. Raising seven successful children was Jeane’s purpose in life. She was the heart of the family, being the cheerleader and supporter for all of her children.
Thirteen years of island life came to an end in January 1964 when Joe left Eastern Air Lines for a better-paying job with BF Goodrich in Akron, Ohio. Jeane and Joe moved their seven children to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, arriving as a three-day blizzard slammed Ohio. Jeane took the kids to the local discount store and purchased complete sets of winter clothes for all seven wide-eyed and excited children, who had never seen snow before. Life in the seasonal Mid-west was a drastic yet fun change for the family, and Jeane was always up for attending high school sporting events, hiking and playing tennis or golf.
Jeane and Joe returned to the beach and the sun when they retired to Pensacola, Fla., in 1978. They then moved to Vero Beach, Fla., in 1993 to be closer to family. They lived in Vero Beach until 2004, when Joe passed away.
Jeane’s short-term memory loss had progressed to the initial stage of dementia, preventing her from living alone. Always loving to travel, Jeane spent the next 10 years living with the families of her surviving children. With spring and summer spent in California and Washington and fall and winter spent in Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina, Gramma Jeane became a welcome addition to all of our families. In 2014, at the age of 93, Jeane took residence in Regency on Whidbey in Oak Harbor, just five minutes from family. Jeane spent her last year in the loving care of the caregivers at Regency with frequent visits and outings with family.
Jeane is survived by her daughters, Susan Trank (Bart), Nancy Bernard (Tim) and Jody Sibila (Tom); her sons, John Worthington (Carol) and Joseph (Chip) Worthington (Summer); grandchildren Alexis, Scott, Brian, Peter, Amy, Barbara, Christina, Chris, Melissa, Emily, Kelly, Patrick, Sarah, and Tristan (ZZ); and great-grandchildren Emilie, Sophie, Iain, Olivia, Jackson, Tommy, Kyle, Mia, Joseph, Caitlin, Lena, Finn, Henry and Wesley. Also surviving is her sister, Beth. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph; her son, Peter; her daughter, Barbara; and her brother, Richard.
Burial services will be at Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on Sept. 16. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jeane’s name to any local nursing scholarship fund.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Wallin Funeral Home, Oak Harbor. To share condolences or leave messages please visit Jeane’s Book of Memories page on the funeral home website at www.wallinfuneralhome.com
