Posted Friday, December 5, 2008 Remembering Jean O'Neill
The unexpected passing of Jean O'Neill just before Thanksgiving saddens SIp & Stitchers around the country. Click on article title for our tribute to Jean, the much-loved Queen of Sip & Stitch. I think anyone who's ever participated in Sip & Stitch remembers Jean O'Neill. Not only was she an awesome stitcher -- her samples are all over Julie's shop -- but she was the funny, irreverent, down-to-earth spark of those Thursday gatherings for more than 20 years. Julie always called Jean the "Queen" of Sip & Stitch. It was Jean's party, which she hosted from her special chair in all weather from November to April.
Here is Jean with me last year, showing off a couple of Julie's bag designs for the camera. From the looks on both our faces, I'd say Jean is laughing at my stitching and I'm trying (not so successfully) to look happy about it.
Unfortunately, we lost Jean just before Thanksgiving this year. A brief hospitalization and surgery followed the discovery of a growth on Jean's ovary. A rampant infection complicated her care and Jean was not able to recover from the combination of medical problems. Julie held a reception for Jean's friends and family following her funeral service on November 26. The backyard of 527 Fleming St. was the perfect location to say goodbye to Jean. Julie had pulled photographs from decades of Sip & Stitch, painting class, and several years of teas (the Victorian, the Indian, the Hat Tea), all of which which captured Jean's playfulness and spunk.
It's hard to imagine Sip & Stitch without Jean O'Neill. I will always remember the horrified look she would give me if I carelessly scheduled something else on a Thursday morning. The hours between 10:00 and 12:00 were sacrosanct to her. Even Jim's cataract surgery had to be scheduled around them so that Jean would not miss her weekly party.
in 2009 we will all miss her.
To see photos of Jean put together by her family, click on this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/jazzjmon/JeanONeill?authkey=bGDdIbTlWY8# |
