Friends and family came together to honor Jean Stryker on Friday.
Jean was born Feb. 16th, 1928 to George and Ann Mireault in Waterbury CT. She is the older of two children. Her younger sister is Claire whom she loved and cherished her whole life. They were not only sisters but best friends.
Jean was raised in Woodbury CT where she graduated from Woodbury High School in 1946. Later that year she married Albert Stryker.
She and Albert started their family in January of 1948 with the birth of their first child, Roy. Exactly one year later came Joyce. Then in 1953 they had another son, Guy. Almost 10 years later Jo Ann was born, and then in 1965 came Corey. Last but not least, their youngest child, another son, Dana was born in 1967.
Jean spent the most part of her life being a good wife and wonderful mother raising 6 children.
In 1970 Al and Jean moved out West with the 4 younger children. The family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and then to Dolores Colorado and finally in 1976 moved to Bagdad Az. This is where they stayed until all of the kids where grown. In 1985, when Dana was 18, Jean and Al divorced and she set out on her own. She moved back to Dolores Colorado.
She spent time discovering who she was and what she wanted out of life. She did things she had always wanted to try. She went up in a hot-air balloon, went for a ride in an ultra light glider, and returned to the saddle for a horseback pack trip. Starting a new life was an adventure for her. It was at this time she met her very good friend and life companion, Mel Forman. They became very close, eventually buying a home together. They were happy for (20+) years until Jeans health started to deteriorate a bit and she made the decision to move to Phoenix where she could breath better. Much to her sadness, Mel did not move with her.
It was also during her time in Colorado that she went to work at a store in Cortez called Notah Deneh. She not only loved her job selling Native American jewelry and rugs, but came to love all the people she worked with. They were a great bunch of people who always looked out for her, especially when she started getting older.
When she moved to Phoenix in 2009, she moved in with Roy and Carla. She enjoyed their companionship and deeply appreciated everything that they did for her, as did all of Jeans children.
As her family grew and spread all across the country, Jean would travel, sometimes twice a year or more to visit her kids, grandkids and great grand kids. She tried to be there for everyone.
Jean was an amazing woman who worked hard all of her life. She was quick to share her wisdom with anyone who asked. She was even quicker with her wit, whether it was asked for or not. She had a wonderful and all too often, saucy sense of humor. You could always depend on her for a laugh.
She has left a legacy of love and laughter to the incredibly large family she left behind.
Obituary provided by Dignity Memorial.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
