Jeanne Simmons Galyean
May 5, 1922 ~ November 16, 2013
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Jeanne Marie Simmons Galyean, aged 91, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother, died peacefully Saturday, November 16, 2013, at the John F. Keever Solace Center. She was the widow of US Air Force (USAF) Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Marcus Galyean, who died November 29, 2008.
Born in Asheville to Geraldine and Paul Simmons on May 5, 1922, Jeanne grew up in Kenilworth, attending St. Genevieve of the Pines school and graduating from Lee H. Edwards High School in 1938. Before her marriage in June 1941, she studied at Biltmore College and Richmond Professional Institute, a division of the College of William and Mary, in Virginia. During the Second World War, Jeanne accompanied her husband to Army Air Corps training bases and lived in Fort Myers, Florida, where he served as an instructor pilot and pilot for gunnery-training crews. After the war, the family lived in Marietta, Georgia, while Marcus studied electrical engineering at Georgia Tech and served in the Georgia Air National Guard. At the outbreak of the Korean conflict, her husband returned to active duty in the USAF and continued to serve as a pilot and communications officer until his retirement to Asheville in 1976. Jeanne adapted gracefully to the uncertain and demanding role of an officer's wife, guiding her three children through a succession of moves and different schools and helping other air force wives cope with the challenges of life overseas and family tragedies. She enjoyed living in Germany, France, and England and delighted at being able to travel widely in Europe – circumstances she had never imagined possible as a young girl in Asheville.
Always putting the needs and aspirations of others before her own, Jeanne encouraged her sons Paul and Laurence and daughter Nancy in their college years and careers. She taught fifth-grade Sunday school classes at St. Timothy's Church in Apple Valley, California, choosing that grade because of the challenging questions of the children. Jeanne also served as a Cub Scout den mother in Erding, Germany, led a Brownie troop in Pessac, France, and organized a chapter of the Girls' Friendly Society at St Timothy's. After her father's death in 1967 and during her husband's tour in Southeast Asia, she cared for her mother whose health was declining and frequently returned to Asheville from Germany to care for her. Following her husband's retirement, she devoted her time and great patience to caring for not only her mother, but also for her husband's parents and her unmarried aunt and uncle for more than a decade. Jeanne encouraged her husband in his studies at Western Carolina University and UNC-Asheville and pursued her own interests by attending classes at her church and for retirees at UNC-A's campus. During her husband's last years, she ceaselessly cared for him, helping him to attend classes and stay at his home.
Throughout her life and despite a serious illness in her teens, Jeanne responded with steadfast faith, hope, and love. She remembered marching in with her elementary class at the opening of the First Baptist Church of Asheville, where she was baptized a few years later. In her teens, she attended and was married at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church. Jeanne was confirmed in the Episcopal Church and was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in North Asheville. Unable to attend services in recent years, she was grateful to the church, especially to the Reverend Reese and his wife for their frequent visits to her home. Jeanne contributed to and closely followed the activities of a wide-range of charities, especially those answering the plights of Native Americans, blind, disabled, and hospitalized veterans, hungry children, homeless animals, endangered species, national parks and monuments, and people suffering from often overlooked diseases, such as leprosy and tropical infections.
Jeanne is survived by her sister, Roberta Eblen, and sister-in-law Rebecca Nesbitt; sons Paul and Laurence Galyean and their wives Susan and Joyce; daughter Nancy Galyean; a granddaughter Geraldine Panebianco; four grandsons: Mark, Wayne, Eric, and Clarke; two step-granddaughters: Darlene Michael and Donna Wilbur; a great-granddaughter, five great-grandsons, seven step great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews and cousins.
The family would like to thank the staff of Mission Hospital and CarePartners Heath Services for their skillful professional care and kindness over the past four years. Jeanne especially enjoyed long, friendly conversations with her CarePartners companions whose attentive visits enabled her to remain at home. We are also grateful to the Solace Center for their compassion during her final hours.
A visitation will be held at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Road on Friday, November 22, 2013, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The funeral service will be at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 23, 2013, at Grace Episcopal Church with the Rev. Gary Coffey officiating. The family invites friends for light refreshments at the church following the service. Jeanne will be buried next to her husband at Calvary Episcopal churchyard later that afternoon. Groce Funeral Home may be contacted for further information.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in her name to Eblen Charities, 50 Westgate Parkway, Asheville, NC 28806, and to Asheville Humane Society or other charities.
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
NANCY,PAUL AND LARRY I AM VERY SADDENED TO LEARN OF THE PASSING OF YOUR PRECIOUS MOTHER. THE TIME I HAVE SPENT WITH HER AS A CAREPARTNER COMPANION WILL EVER REMAIN A MEMORY FOR ME. SHE WAS A SWEET AND CARING LADY AND WAS ALWAYS SO UPBEAT. WE HAD MANY WONDERFUL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HER DAYS OF MILITARY LIFE. I LOVED HEARING OF THOSE. I, FOR ONE OF MANY OF THE GIRLS WILL MISS HER VERY MUCH. MY LIFE HAS BEEN BLESSED BY KNOWING HER. I LOVED HER VERY MUCH. JOANNE YOUNG