JEAN VIOLET PHELAN (nee PETIPAS )

Jean Violet Phelan(nee Petipas), December 22, 1938-March 4, 2025

We are so much more than our birth date and death date. Do you see that hyphen, that little line between those two dates? What matters in life is what you do while you live along that little line. This obituary was written with love by Jean’s granddaughter and namesake, Brianna Jean, capturing her Nan’s 86 year old line between two dates. 

Jean came into this world a force to be reckoned with during a snowstorm on December 22, 1938 and peacefully passed in her sleep on March 4, 2025 as her beloved birds began their day.

Born in Markland Cottage Hospital to Peter Petipas Sr. (Dad Paw) and Ella Gosling Petipas(Mom Paw) she was raised in Whitbourne and completed their large Catholic family of 10–brother Manse(Louise), brother Frank, brother Enie, brother Pete(Adelaide), sister Dot, sister Mase, and brother John(Cathy). Growing up Jean loved playing with her family’s animals, her lifelong best friend Sally Tucker Diamond(now reunited in the afterlife), and playing all sports that Whitbourne had to offer. One of her fondest childhood memories is of travelling around Newfoundland with her softball team and becoming Newfoundland’s Provincial Softball Champions. 

She always held a deep appreciation for her upbringing and the connections that her family made while both of her parents were working with “The Americans”. At a time when the average Newfoundlander was barely surviving, Jean fondly remembers her childhood as a privileged life filled with chocolate, a kitchen where her Mom had buns in the oven, and many pots on the range with good hardy food to share with her large family and anyone who needed it. Jean followed in her mother’s footsteps throughout her life and never hesitated to share everything she had with everyone she loved. This family value is one that will always ring true and be passed on to every descendant of Jean. 

At 18 she left Newfoundland’s First Inland Town and moved to Boston, Massachusetts where she grew up in the city, gained her iconic Boston accent(“we’re from Boston, my dahlin!”), raised her family—Terry Black, Brenda Black(Wayne Mercer), Peter Perry, and Ricky Perry(Linda Perry), and had three marriages(Vincent Black, George Perry, and Vincent Phelan). She cherished her time raising her children in Dorchester and Southie. She loved reminiscing about suntanning down on Tenean Beach, having a slice of Hi-Fi pizza(cheese, please!) or enjoying a hot dog down on Castle Island with her family and many friends. Her friendship with Ginny Morgan(and her first namesake, Ginny’s daughter Beverly Jean) is the relationship that withstood the test of time as they raised their families together and turned their friendship into family. 

Jean held numerous jobs while living in Boston, and although her bark was always bigger than her bite, her favourite job was being a Massport police officer at Boston’s Logan Airport!  Jean returned to Newfoundland often to visit her parents and their big Petipas family. In 1987 she moved back to her hometown of Whitbourne where she reconnected with her childhood friends and forged stronger bonds with the Petipas clan. She was the first female security officer at Bull Arm during the Hibernia heyday and that is where she met and befriended another lifelong friend, Eleanor Martin(and family). 

When Jean became a grandmother to Brianna, Brittany, Erica, Mia, and Ella-Grace a new sense of joy appeared in her life becoming their Nana, Nan, Nanny Jean. She loved spending time with her grandkids and spoiling them. Brianna and Erica fondly remember she would provide each of them with their own Sears Wish Book catalogue to study, circle, and narrow down everything they wanted  for Christmas. She took great pride in looking out for Brianna, Erica, and all of their friends as they played at the playground and explored the streets of Whitbourne. It didn’t matter if she was biologically yours or not, she was the Cool Mom and the Cool Nan to all. She never complained about playing taxi driver to Brianna and Erica  picking them up from school or the stadium. She would happily show up and take them home to feed them spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, a peanut butter and apricot triple fruit bagel sandwich, or out for a feed of Mary Brown’s or Monty’s(open faced hot turkey sandwich dark meat for “MeanJean” please!) . She had a deep freeze full of ice cream and loved sharing a “chocolate cohva” or a vanilla ice cream cone dunked in rainbow sprinkles for dessert. They were always welcome at Nana’s to savour Werther’s Originals, watch The Today Show, The Price is Right, Judge Judy, or read the trashy National Enquirer together. Mia and Ella would agree that the grandkids never had to worry about having enough money when snacks were at stake! Whether it be an ice cream, candy bar, Italian ice or a slushie after school—Nana’s cash can was always ready for a “snack attack”! Two years ago Brittany promoted Nana to great grandmother status with the birth of Colton and once again just two months ago with the birth of Camille. Nana Jean beamed with pride watching her granddaughter become a mother and looked forward to every photo and video that were sent across the miles from Boston to Newfoundland each day. 

Jean valued her family and friends above everything— minus her 4:30 pm showing of The Young and The Restless where we all needed to give her space until 5:30 pm, a tall handsome man, and all Boston sports teams but most importantly  the New England Patriots football team. If she loved you, you knew it. She adored children and with the creation of social media and smart phones she loved being kept up to date on all of the children in Whitbourne and her family’s lives. 

Jean was an incredibly hard worker and she loved nature and tending to her garden and hot house. She instilled a love of gardening in her granddaughters Erica and Brianna, and her daughter Brenda recently picked up her torch for her love of growing vegetables in the hot house. She loved her family’s pets, but her most dear companion arrived 7 years ago in the form of a Boston terrier, her little dah-dah Ricky. Ricky will miss his Nanny’s companionship and how she would let him lay in her bed and openly share her Lays Lightly Salted potato chips with him.

Near or far, Jean’s love and connection to her family and friends was unwavering.  She took everyone for who they were; you knew she saw your faults but she accepted them, called you out about it with a colourful name, but she never tried to change you. She welcomed her daughter Brenda’s extended Mercer family and her son Ricky’s extended LaMonaca family into her heart and loved each and every one of them as her family. She lived for the phone calls from her son Terry in Boston or a card in the mail from him as he always knows exactly what to say to her. When Brianna began volunteering with Help From Canada and welcomed the Tkachuk family from Ukraine into our lives, Jean happily accepted 4 more members into her family and always appreciated their company. Jean enjoyed talking to her nieces and nephews who live across North America and always appreciated when they visited her. Special thank you to her favourite niece Jo-Anne[Petipas] George(husband Robert and family), special great-nephew Peter Petipas(wife Sam and Jean’s dear great-great-niece Alba), niece Sharon Petipas(& Sharon!), “son” Gene Hutchings(Jackie and family), and family friends Shelagh Mercer, Paige Diamond, Connie Lockyer(and family), and Teresa [Foley] Hadfield(and family) for never forgetting Jean wherever she lived and constantly going above and beyond to let her know how much you loved her. 

Jean thanked her daughter Brenda and son-in-law Wayne each and every day over the last few years for welcoming her into their home for nine years and for going above and beyond a daughter’s duty to a parent, driving back and forth to St.John’s nearly every single day to be with her during the last year of her life. She will continue to repay you for your selflessness in the afterlife. 

Although our hearts are breaking as we say goodbye, we are filled with peace that our dear Mom, Nan, Aunt, friend, our Bostonian Whitbourne Gal received the highest honour a believer can receive, an answered prayer to her call home. Jean was a member of the St.Alphonsus Catholic Church in Whitbourne and was a faithful Christian who knew God and carried a faith strong enough to know that God can see you and hear you wherever you are—whether you’re in a church or not. She lived her days with her “do unto others as you wish others to do unto you” mindset.  She said the rosary each and every day and knew that God would forgive her for the colourful language she used before and after(…and sometimes during…) her prayers. 

We are at peace knowing she is now once again with her sons Peter and Ricky, her baby boys she missed so much, a reunion she has prayed for for so long. 

Thank you to the staff at Karwood Retirement Retreat for watching over Jean from February-October 2024, St.Clare’s 4N staff for caring for her October-December 2024, and most importantly the staff at the Salvation Army Glenbrook Lodge for restoring contentment in her heart and soul while you cared for Jean from December 2024 until her final day, March 4, 2025. You have our family’s sincere gratitude for life. 

“Everything is fine, everything is good” and cremation has taken place. We are following Jean’s wishes and are not having a wake or funeral. Jean marched to the beat of her own drum and she hated the cold weather so a burial and memorial service are to follow at a later date in a warmer season. In memory of Jean we would love for you to plant something beautiful in your garden to spread joy in your heart and community. We would appreciate if you would comment below or email us your favourite Jean story/stories so we can compile them for her grandchildren(“xoxo,,Nan”). 

We love you, “my dahlin”!

“Morning has broken like the first morning. 

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the world”