My mother, Jeanne, died peacefully at age 94 the at the Minnesota Masonic Home in Bloomington on December 9, 2017. She lived a long and full life. In 2015 she began declining, moving from assisted living to nursing home care, and more recently to memory care and finally hospice.
My mother started me in piano lessons after she saw me teaching myself to play our chord organ. Clarinet and trumpet lessons followed, leading to recitals and school music performances, community pit orchestras, and some professional gigs when I still was a kid. She supported my work as a professional gigging musician and high school band director, providing legal services to the poor, and writing, performing and recording jazz in Minnesota and around the world. She attended my CD releases until it was too hard for her to attend. Thanks for getting me started, Mom.
Here is her obituary.
McDonough, Jeanne Frances Sheets, of Bloomington, MN, died peacefully on December 9, 2017, at the age of 94. She was born to George Marsh Sheets and Jesse Louise (Baird) on July 28, 1923, in Davenport, IA. Jeanne married Sidney Lee McDonough in 1944, and they celebrated 62 years of marriage on October 9, 2006. She graduated from high school in Iowa City and from the University of Iowa with an English major. She lived in Buffalo, NY; St. Louis, MO; and Bloomington, MN; where she resided for 56 years. Jeanne was the proud mother of three sons and enjoyed training and caring for her beloved golden retrievers, winning many awards in obedience trials. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Mary Louise Kennedy, her husband, and a granddaughter Lindsay McDonough. Jeanne will be missed by her sons Steve McDonough (Denise) of Bismarck, ND; Ken McDonough (Connie) of Omaha, NE; Larry McDonough (Carol Bergquist) of St. Paul, MN; grandchildren Shaun (Lauren Lippincott), Nicole, Nathan (Alysha), James, Laurel Ketcham (Kyle), Meghan Roberts (Andrew), Kelsey Dahlager (Christian), Shannon (Reed Johnson, friend), Rosie; and three great-grandchildren Leia and Jamie Ketcham and Declan McDonough. Jeanne also is survived by step-grandchildren Audrey Strunc (Cristiano Gato De Rezende) and Kelsie Strunc, and dear friend Andrea Turner. Jeanne treasured her relationships with her nieces and nephews James Kennedy (Margaret), Richard Kennedy (Cynthia), David Kennedy (Cristina), Patty Kennedy McBride (Steven Fedder), and Carol Keenan (Patrick). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Methodist Home Hospice, 700 South 5th Street, Hopkins, MN 55343. A service celebrating Jeanne's life will be held Sunday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. at Gill Brothers Funeral Home, 9947 Lyndale Avenue South, Bloomington, MN 55420. The visitation will be one hour prior to service. The interment in the family plot will be held on Monday, December 18 at 9:00 a.m. at the Davenport Memorial Park Cemetery, 1022 East 39th Street, Davenport, IA 52807.
Written by Stephen McDonough, Larry McDonough, and Carol Bergquist
