Harriett Jean (“Jeannie”) McKimson Wolford

Harriett Jean McKimson Wolford passed into eternal life on Thursday, June 18, 2020, at 11:55 am.  She was born May 31, 1927 to the late Harry and Clara Talley McKimson (later Bossung) of Sheldon, Illinois.  With strong ties to Kentland, Indiana, young Jeannie and her sister Joannie (McGuire, who preceded her in death in 2019) enjoyed a life of adventure lived in these small towns throughout the years of the Great Depression and World War II – shared in tales of joy and hardship with the next generations of her family.

Jeannie married Charles (“Woj”) Wolford on January, 22, 1946, and began their life together in Lafayette, raising five children: Sydney Fishburn (David) of Phoenix, Arizona; the late Lezlee Tucker (Phillip); Kevin Wolford (Barbara) of Long Island, New York; Andrea Jean, “Anjie”, Reuzenaar (Rob) of Lafayette; and Jody Wolford-Tucker (Stephen) of Ellsworth, Maine.  They also shared much love for their two nephews, Shawn and Daniel (“Boomer”) McGuire, and their families. Jeannie and Woj took great delight in their 13 grandchildren:  Whitney, Shannon, Kristen and Kelly Fishburn; Devin and Bridget Tucker; Jennifer and K.C. Wolford; Allison, Amanda, Benjamin and Annmarie Reuzenaar; and Fiona Tucker.

Jeannie’s beloved husband, Woj, died in 2002. Jeannie went on to experience the joy of great-grandparenting, becoming the Great Gramma Jeannie to 19 descendants in the fourth generation of the family she and Woj built.

When her youngest child entered school, Jeannie embarked on a path toward achieving her life-long goal of becoming a nurse, starting college at Purdue in her 30s – a choice that was not common in those days.  She earned her R.N. and eventually, her Master’s in Community Health Education.  She loved nursing, spending most of her career at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette.  In addition to bedside care, which she loved, she pioneered several programs in health education including a long-term commitment to diabetes care and management. Jeannie also served as Dr. Norman Wong’s office nurse and made hospital rounds with him, always putting good patient care as her first personal priority.

Jeannie and Woj met on the dance floor and carried that theme of dancing, singing and joy into their family life and beyond.  They valued family and actively nurtured love, faith, strength, kindness and adventure in their children, grandchildren and community. Jeannie and Woj were active socially, as long-term members of the Lafayette Elks Club and with friends and neighbors in Orlando, Florida where they kept a winter home for 20 years.

A born entertainer, Jeannie carried her flair for excitement and fun through many productions, written and produced by her, for audiences that included state-wide conventions of Delta Sigma Kappa sorority, in which she served several terms as President; Thanksgiving and Christmas pageants, Fourth of July parades, and special celebrations of every holiday that spilled beyond family to include neighbors and friends.  She shared her enthusiasm with all she met and made every room she entered more joyful, including the halls of The Springs at Lafayette, where she lived the last three years of her life. She became “Belle of the Ball” there, making life more fun for those who resided there with her. So many say that she lifted their spirits every time she sang “Off we go into the wild blue yonder…”, while swinging her cane, and poking others along the way, in attempt to make them smile, as she pranced down to the dining room, or the activity room. She enjoyed Happy Hour every Friday in the last three years of her life, where she danced and entertained the crowds gathered there. Staff and residents alike have shared that Jeannie’s love and encouragement, even in the midst of her own suffering, have made a significant and positive difference to them in their own life journeys.

Jeannie was a born leader, taking on responsibilities beyond her years while growing up, and in managing people and organizing groups.  Though her final journey in life included dementia that limited the independence she was committed to, she retained her strong spirit, owning her self-image as “the nurse and not the patient”, counting her blessings and expressing her gratitude for all the love and many gifs of her life.

Jeannie was a life-long Catholic with strong faith in God, which sustained her and which she nurtured in her descendants. Jeannie now enters eternal life with her Lord, Jesus, The Blessed Mother, her beloved Woj and other family members who predeceased her.  It is with great love and gratitude that her family celebrates the life of Jeannie Wolford.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 2:00 pm at St Lawrence Catholic Church. Burial will be at St Boniface Catholic Cemetery. Fathers Eric Underwood and Cole Daily will be officiating. There will also be “A Celebration of Life” memorial planned for a later date when coronavirus travel restrictions allow Jeannie’s family from far and wide to gather with friends in Lafayette in honor of this amazing lady. You may sign the guest book and leave memories at www.soller-baker.com