Jean Woodland, 84
Dateline: Mansfield, MA
Jean Woodland, age 84, of Mansfield, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, May 4, 2020.
Born in Cambridge, MA on June 16, 1935, she was the younger daughter of the late Stuart Woodland (of Cambridge) and Florence (Lohnes) Woodland (of Nova Scotia, Canada).
Jean grew up on Parker Street in Cambridge, with her twin brother John, her older sister, Anne, and her older brother Stuart. Their mother died when Jean was six years old, prompting their great “Aunt Nelly” of Parsonsfield, Maine to move in with the family and bring all the kids to her house in Maine in the summers. Their father, a custodian at Harvard University, visited them in Maine when he could. These summers, in a universe away from the big city, were the last time all the kids were together before growing up and going their separate ways and those memories were some of the warmest Jean carried with her.
Jean’s twin, John, died at the age of 23 of cancer. She missed him terribly the rest of her life.
A graduate of Cambridge High and Latin School, Jean later attended secretarial school. Her favorite and longest position was as an office manager at Norwood Engineering, where she took great pride in her contributions to many development projects in and around the Norwood and Mansfield area. Even after retiring, Jean could point out which buildings her company had worked on and even name which engineers had worked on them.
Jean had made her home in Mansfield for the past twenty years and previously resided in Norwood. She never married but was an excellent aunt to her nieces, nephews and their children. She enjoyed shopping for them and for her “little blue house” when she wasn’t watching old game shows or reading murder mysteries. Jean enjoyed long walks and had trouble relaxing; she was happiest when she was busy.
Always proudly independent, following a series of strokes that impaired her sight in 2018, Jean had to give up driving and reading but still enjoyed daily phone calls with her sister, Anne Martin of Palmer and daily visits from her nephew, Harry Martin. Never one who had ever really enjoyed the cooking process, following her strokes, Jean was grateful for the invaluable service provided by the volunteers of the Bristol Elder Services meals on wheels, especially during the pandemic.
Jean’s remains were cremated, and her life will be celebrated by her friends and family at a later date.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home, 55 North Main St., Mansfield.
To send her family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com
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