Jean is at peace now. She passed at the age of 82, a few hours after midnight of New Years Day 2024, there was a Christmas moon over the Lansdowne Valley. 

She was a loving wife, mother of two, grandmother to five, sister, aunt, in-law, and friend to many in her circles. Jean made you want to talk with her, somehow, she made you feel better, up lifted, more energized, you wanted to be a better person. She could whistle like a songbird. She wrote poetry and she loved music and dancing. She loved art and supported artists, local and everywhere she traveled. 

Jean was born May 2, 1941 at Mary Washington Hospital and lived in the Fredericksburg area for most of her life. She and her husband met at Dahlgren in July 1963 and became lifetime soul mates. When they married July 10, 1965, her legal name changed from Gloria Jean to Jean Wakeman Jones. In the late 1960s she worked in Cornell University's Arts and Drama Department and was also a runway model for a local agency. 

For 30 years beginning in the late 1970s she was a well-known figure in the Fredericksburg area, the first woman elected to the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors serving three terms and the first woman elected to the Virginia Soil and Water Commission. She served several years on the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust and worked as a legislative aide in the Virginia General Assembly. 

Jean was also an avid antiques collector and dealer. She was knowledgeable and passionate about nature, birds, rocks, precious/semiprecious stones, and Native American jewelry. She loved, loved, loved the grandkids. 

Jean and her husband traveled many times to virtually every ancient ruin and petroglyph site in the Southwest Four Corners region. There were a lot of trips abroad, the highlight was two weeks in Machu Piccu and Galapagos. 

She attended James Madison University and graduated from Mary Washington University in political science with focus on sustaining the environment, and she was a lifelong supporter of civil rights and Native Americans. 

Jean is survived by her husband, Dan; daughter, Lisa (Mark); grandchildren, Marcus and Lila of Littleton, Colorado; son, Newell, aka ND (ex Courtenay); grandchildren, Ingrid, Georgia and Flynn of Fredericksburg; her sister, Sue Bradshaw and her husband, Gordon; nieces, Shannon (Ralph), Kristen (Dustin), Christina (Nick) and Amanda; and nephews, Rob (Pam) and Damon. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Newell and Norvelle Stiars Wakeman and two beloved uncles, Wendell Wakeman and Dennis Stiars. 

Jean's family thanks Cardinal Village (Morningside House of Spotsylvania) and Mary Washington Healthcare Hospice for superb care. 

A memorial gathering celebrating Jean’s life will be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Sunday, January 7, 2024 at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel, 10719 Courthouse Road, Fredericksburg. The funeral service and burial will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department or the Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad at spotsyfire.org or the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia at patawomeckindiantribeofvirginia.org or the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust at cvbt.org/donate or the National Park Foundation at nationalparks.org

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