Artist, St. Stephen's Eucharist Minister Jean McPherson, 93, Passed Away

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Jean McPherson, 93, beloved partner of Dirk Bollenback, died peacefully on Monday, May 2, 2016 while at Regional Hospice & Home Care of Danbury, CT. Jean, daughter of Henry and Florence MacKaye, was born in Detroit, Michigan on October 9, 1922.

Jean earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Chicago Art Institute in 1948. She also did graduate work at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Jean was an interior decorator for the Michigan Bell Telephone Company, technical illustrator for Kaiser Motors, the Chrysler Corporation, and free-lanced for the Ford and General Motor companies. She became Art and Research Director for the weekly NBC television program for children, "Ring around the World," in Hartford, CT and was the Art Director of the Beautification Foundation of White Plains. She formed her own company, J-Mac Enterprises, doing technical illustrations for Perkin Elmer, the Dictaphone Corporation, and Homelite.

Jean's artistic loves were painting portraits, murals and theatrical settings. She also was interested in music, politics and was highly active St. Stephen's Episcopal Church as a lector and licensed lay Eucharistic minister.
Jean's grief after her husband Ramsey's passing in 2008 was relieved when she became good friends with Dirk Bollenback and they lived a happy and active life's together at Ridgefield Crossings.

Jean is survived by her partner, Dirk, her son John McPherson of Barkhamsted, CT, her daughter Judy Longo of Ridgefield, and her five grandchildren, Ella and Dana McPherson of Barkemsted, and Jill, Sandra and Christopher of Ridgefield.

A funeral service will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 351 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT on Friday, May 13, 2016 at 2:30pm followed by a reception at North Hall at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Stephen's Music Fund.To light a candle please visit www.danburymemorial.com.

Obituary courtesy of Danbury Memorial