By Michael J. Whelan
To some she was Wilda Jean, to others, simply Jean. But there was nothing simple about her, regardless of which first name you preferred to call her.
She passed away nine days ago, May 7th, at the very full age of 96, at the home of her son Mike, where she had been living since she lost so much of her vision she couldn’t live in her own home any longer.
Jean had a saying regarding age, and that was “age is just a number, and mine is unlisted.”
She was born into the vast Stubblefield family, to Bill and Eva Stubblefield, and moved to the Funks Grove farm at age two, and she never, ever, missed a reunion of the Funk Stubblefield clans until just last year. She married Dean McCrossin and they were married for fifty years when Dean passed away in 1993.
It was at one of these reunions, some thirty plus years ago, where I first had the pleasure of meeting Jean, in Funks Grove on a hot August day. It was my first time attending this gathering, having married into the Stubblefield side of the two families. She introduced herself to me with her big beautiful smile and a twinkle in her eye, and made me feel that I had been in the family for all of my life.
As the years passed, I would also see her whenever I visited the McLean County Museum of History, where Jean volunteered literally thousands and thousands of hours of her time. If memory serves me, she holds the record for the most hours given by any volunteer, and she loved every minute of her time there.
When I started doing forum commentary on this radio station some eight years ago, she would always tell me how much she truly enjoyed my forums, and coming from someone as knowledgeable and intelligent as Jean, it was high praise indeed to hear her tell me that.
Last year at the reunion was not the same without her presence, and I know that every reunion from now on will never be the same. And I know I speak for everyone there when I say this.
God speed dear Jean.
Michael J. Whelan has been a licensed practicing attorney for over 33 years. He also serves as an arbitrator in the 11th Judicial Circuit Mandatory Arbitration program. In addition, he is presently the president of the board of directors of his homeowners association, and is also a member of the board of directors of The Old House Society. He and his wife of thirty-one plus years, Cheryl Whelan, live in Bloomington. He and Cheryl enjoy exercising, reading, and being close to family and friends.
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