Jean Lee Holen
October 21, 1928 - March 03, 2019
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Jean Lee Holen
October 21, 1928 - March 03, 2019
Obituary
Jean Lee (Bane) Holen passed away Sunday March 3, 2019 at Whatcom Hospice House at the age of 90. She was born October 21, 1928 to Charles L. Bane and Elsie E. Eyer. Jean grew up in Bellingham on Grove Street and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bellingham High School in 1946. In her younger years, she worked at Hillview Dairy, Cascade Laundry, & Payless. Jean married Arthur Loft on February 1, 1947 and they had one daughter and two sons. She moved to Alaska in February of 1963 and married Odell (Dell) Holen March 4, 1963. Dell had five children from a previous marriage and together they had one son. She loved her years living in Alaska.
She enjoyed Swing music and songs from the 50’s & 60’s, singing while playing Ragtime music on the piano, watching her grandchildren & great-grandsons play sports, reading mystery stories, solving crossword puzzles, and vacationing in Hawaii, California, and Aneta, North Dakota where Dell grew up. She was an avid bowler into her 70’s and bowled in two leagues a week and went to the gym twice a week. She was a member of Rome Grange No. 226 for 30 years where she loved working the Pancake Breakfast the 1st Sunday of the month.
She is survived by her daughter Janet Myers, sons Don Loft, Brian (Verna) Loft and Scott Holen, step-daughters Rita (Gary) Cornella, Sheila (Peter) Edridge, step-sons Jim (Pam) Holen & Greg (Gina) Holen, 18 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild born in February 2019.
She was pre-deceased by her parents, step-father Roy Burgy, husband Dell Holen, grandson John Loft, step-daughter Paula Elliott & son-in-laws John Myers and Bob Elliott.
Please send memorials to: Whatcom Humane Society (2172 Division St Bellinghan 98226), Lighthouse Mission (9110 W Holly St Bellingham 98225), Whatcom Hospice (3001 Squalicum Pkwy #11 Bellingham 98225) and Unity Church (10695 Telegraph Rd Bellingham 98226).
A Memorial service for Jean will be held on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at Rome Grange No. 226 (2821 Mt Baker Hwy) at 11:00 AM.
Memorial Service
- Date & Time: March 30, 2019 (12:00 AM)
- Venue: Rome Grange
- Location: 2821 Mount Baker Highway Bellingham, WA 98226 - (Get Directions)
2 responses to Jean Lee Holen
Pamela Holen says:
March 3, 2019
Jean always showed a curiosity about her family. My favorite memories are sitting in George’s house with her drinking coffee and talking about family. Jean always asked after our sons and wanted details on how they were doing in life. She also wanted to know all about my dogs and our competitive training. She was genuinely interested. She will be missed and the memories of her will be forever.
James Holen says:
March 3, 2019
(By James Holen, stepson.) The James and Pamela Holen Family, our son’s Davin and Christopher, appreciate Jean for being a loving, caring, supportive step mother and grandmother to our family since 1963. Jean helped to enable my father Dell establish a family home again, after many years of bachelorhood, and enabled him to re-connect, at different levels,to his five children. Jean accepted Dell’s five children, Jim, Greg, Rita, Sheila, Paula into her home and life, for various amounts of time, treating us as one of her own. For myself, I credit Jean’s encouragement and insight that I would likely enjoy becoming a teacher and coach; advise I took to heart, and pursued this satisfying career. (I always thought Jean was really smart, did not know she was Magna Cum Laud at Bellingham HS graduation!)
Jean has given a positive family legacy in the many lives she has touched, supported and inspired. Certainly a life well lived. Jean is now joining the love of her life for thirty years, Odell Stanley Holen, two members of the Greatest Generation, now at eternal rest.