Jean Smiley Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Whatever she was doing, whether in the classroom, in her home, on the dance floor, and especially in church, Jean Smiley joyfully lived life. Jean passed away Monday, April 29 and is now living with Jesus and the saints in Heaven. She was 95. A life-long resident of East Lynn in Vermilion County, she was born Lois Jean Lawrence and began excelling immediately, graduating valedictorian of her high school class and entering the University of Illinois. She interrupted her college career to marry Arthur Smiley on July 11, 1943. He preceded her in death. While Art was overseas serving in World War II, Jean worked as a secretary at Food Machinery Corporation, taking the train each day from East Lynn to Hoopeston. During the war, she loved traveling to New York City to meet Art when he was on leave, dancing to the sounds of Glenn Miller, Harry James and Benny Goodman. Throughout their lives Jean and Art traveled world-wide. After the War Jean and Art made their home in East Lynn and raised four children. Lawrence (Rachel), Indianapolis; John (Kendra), East Lynn; Ann Smiley-Oyen, Ames, IA; and Wynn, Indianapolis. Jean had nine grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Deciding to finish her degree at 38, Jean re-entered the University of Illinois earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. Upon graduation, she was pressed into service to help address a state-wide teacher shortage and began teaching kindergarten, half-days in Rankin and half-days in East Lynn public schools. In 1973 when Hoopeston-East Lynn consolidated school district was formed, Jean taught at John Greer Elementary School. But the majority of her 25-year career was teaching first graders at Maple Elementary School. Her passion in the classroom was helping children learn how to read. Jean was an innovator in the classroom. While in graduate school, she was introduced to a program called the “Physiology of Readiness,” which focused on getting children ready to read. This program was designed on the premise that practicing movement tasks, such as walking a balance beam, simultaneously drawing circles on the blackboard with both hands, and tracking a ball swinging on a string, readied the brain for school learning, and specifically for reading. She used this program in her classroom and shared it at teacher workshops. While controversial in the 1960’s and 1970’s, current research supports this perspective. She was the ultimate party planner, teaching all week and then hosting gatherings such as family Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter weekend events including cooking meals for more than thirty people. Jean’s love for parties was apparent at her 90th birthday celebration where she successfully blew out 90 candles ablaze on a coconut cream pie, her favorite dessert. Jean’s homemade ice cream and buttermilk pancakes were two family favorites. Prayer was central to Jean’s life and the fuel that ignited her joy. Her faith was energized at the United Methodist Church renewal movement, Aldersgate. The annual conference was a spiritual home for Jean, each year becoming an ever-growing reunion of loving friends she made across the country. Jean prayed for thousands of people, including every student she taught. She epitomized the scripture verse, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” Her love for others lasted until her final days. Nurses and caregivers at Heritage Health in Hoopeston, where she was living, routinely told stories about Jean’s love and concern for them and their families. Jean’s legacy includes her family, generations of children who learned to read in her classroom and the untold people whose lives were changed through her kindness, intercessory prayer and joyful love. A visitation will be held 4:00 – 7:00 P.M. Friday May 3, 2019 at Anderson Funeral Home 427 E. Main St. Hoopeston, IL. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday May 4, 2019 at the East Lynn Community Fellowship Church 41428 Main St., East Lynn, IL, with Larry Johnson officiating. Burial will follow in the East Lynn Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the East Lynn Community Fellowship Church P.O. Box 146, East Lynn, IL 60932.

Jean Smiley

October 9, 1923 - April 29, 2019