Jeanne Bartolich

Jeanne Bartolich entered the gates of heaven on July 18th, 2020 at the age of 87.  She was born on July 25th, 1932 in her hometown of Selma, AL.  Jeanne was the daughter of Allan and Dollie Mahan and was married to her loving and very devoted husband of 66 years, Eugene Bartolich.  She is survived by her three sons; Bruce of Richmond, VA, Chris of Amherst, MA, and Allan of Atlanta, GA.

Jeanne grew up in Selma and was a majorette at Albert G. Parrish High School graduating in 1950.  She attended the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University) and was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.  She married Eugene on July 18th, 1954 at the First Baptist Church of Selma.  He was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Craig Air Force Base (AFB) near Selma.  Being an Air Force wife took Jeanne around the world with assignments at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH; Tachikawa Air Base, Tokyo, Japan; Vance AFB, Enid, OK; Pittsburgh, PA (Eugene earned a Master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh); Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL (Eugene was in Vietnam in 1969 while Jeanne managed three young and very active boys on her own.); Hickam AFB, Honolulu, HI; Bloomington, IN; and finally Fort Lee Army Base, Prince George, VA until Eugene’s retirement as a Colonel in 1981.

But Jeanne was just getting warmed up.  After Eugene received a Doctorate Degree at Virginia Commonwealth University, they relocated to Brierfield, AL in 1989 where Eugene taught at the University of Montevallo for 10 years.  They built a beautiful home on a hill.  In 1999, Jeanne and Eugene moved back to Virginia this time settling in historic Williamsburg.  There, Jeanne became a fixture in the Williamsburg chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) serving as the Regent and later as the Membership Chairman.  She absolutely loved and cherished her time serving with the DAR.  Jeanne and Eugene were also members of the St. Andrews Society.  They moved back to Alabama in 2016, this time settling in Huntsville.

Jeanne and her best friends from high school would gather yearly and spend a week or more in places such as Destin, FL, Gulf Shores, AL, and Williamsburg, VA.  Pat Tate, Jane Sanford, Pibil Gardner, Joyce Thompson, Mary Clair Moncrief, Silvia Fisher and Nancy Mason were all great friends and just loved each others company.

Jeanne was an avid golfer, participated in several bowling leagues throughout the years, taught her sons how to play baseball and enjoyed watching high school, college, and professional football.  She served as a “Gray Lady” for the American Red Cross at Maxwell AFB and at Tripler Medical Center in Honolulu.  Jeanne also participated in the Wives Clubs at various bases.  She had a keen eye for beautiful and magnificent artwork and was an avid collector of work from famous artists.  However, Jeanne also had a talent for spotting talented local artists.

Jeanne also “raised” two loyal Schnauzers, a couple of black cats and loved to feed the ducks and swans at the nearby pond in Brierfield.  She was a wonderful mother and a loving and devoted wife.  She will be sorely missed having crossed the river to her reward.

A live streamed funeral service will be Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Lee Tate officiating and Lawrence Brown-Service Funeral Home directing. In-person attendance of services will be private. Friends and guests may watch the service live on the funeral home’s Facebook page, viewable at http://watchlawrence.live . Jeanne will be buried alongside her family members at the New Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, AL.

In lieu of flowers and donations, please use your scarce funds to aid those you know who are struggling during these turbulent days due to the economy and the COVID-19 crisis.  There are numerous local charities who can use your help.