South Hadley,  Jean Marie (Houck) Ross passed away June 14, 2018, just weeks before her 90^th birthday.   Jean made her home in Johnstown, PA for more than 30 years. More recently, she lived at Loomis Village in South Hadley, MA where she had moved with her husband Paul to be closer to their daughters.

Jean was born in Youngwood, PA to Marie (Jackson) and William Houck. She met her husband Paul while attending Derry Borough High School and dated him while they were both attending Seton Hill College (Paul was one of many men who attended a women’s college when first returning from WWII). Jean and Paul were married in 1949, and Jean left college to work while Paul attended engineering school at Ohio State University.

Over the next 20 years Jean raised three children, volunteered for numerous organizations, and was determined to finish college. When she put her mind to something, Jean did it:­ in 1969 she received her college degree (the same year her oldest daughter graduated from high school). She later went on to earn 30 graduate credits and taught for nearly 20 years in the Johnstown School System before her retirement. She was a proud member of the Association of University Women. Teaching and her students were Jean’s passion, as were cooking, spending time with her family and friends, and a good book. We will all miss her cheesy potatoes, dilly bread, and fudgy chocolate cake.

Jean and husband Paul were married for 66 years before his death in 2016. They loved their summer home in Stone Harbor, NJ, and in retirement they split their time between Stone Harbor and their home in Whispering Pines, NC. Jean is survived by her daughter Deborah Whitford of South Hadley, MA; son Daniel Ross and wife Diane of Bethlehem, PA; daughter Donna Ross and husband Peter Straley of Amherst, MA; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.     Memorial gifts may be made to the Loomis Village Employee Appreciation Fund,  20 Bayon Drive, Apt. 230, South Hadley, MA