Jeanne Marie Yawman born December 9, 1925, in Rochester NY, passed away October 16, 2017. She lived in Rush, NY nearly all of her life. She is survived by daughters Chris McNeese, Terry Irvine, Wendy Irvine, and son Scott Irvine, her sister-in-law Marty Yawman, 10 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, numerous nieces & nephews. She is predeceased by son Steven Irvine, brother Earl Yawman Jr., her parents, Earl Yawman Sr. and Verona (Uhl) and many friends.Jeanne made horses her life. She started training horses in her teens. For over sixty years she owned and managed a large horse stable Terra Vista Trails.Jeanne was a local Author of eight books, she was very interested in local & family history and was the Rush Town Historian.A celebration of life Memorial Service will be held for her at the Pavilion, 1900 Rush Scottsville Road, behind the library in Rush, NY. This is the location where she held her “Meet the Author” presentations. The service will be on November 13, 2017 (Monday) at 1:00pm. Those wishing to make a contribution in Jeanne’s name, rather than sending flowers, may make a contribution to one of the following:Rush Fire DepartmentTown of Rush Historical DepartmentBegin Again Horse Rescue, Lima NY
My wishes for my mother , that JESUS CHRIST is your LORD and SAVIOR !!!! YOUR ALWAYS on my mind !!!!
I LOVE YOU MOM, Your son, Scott ,
I will miss you Mom. You were always such a strong woman I thought you would live to be 100. It was a blessing that Wendy, Terry and I could be there to comfort you in your last days. You said “I love you” to me, and “Bye, Bye”. It made me cry.
I cried allot, we all did. I believe you enjoyed your last weeks at home: savoring the things you loved, surrounded by family & dear friends who visited often. Your last days were hard, for you and for us. Now, at last you have peace. Always when we parted after family dinner, holidays, or even ending a phone conversation you always said “Bye for Now”. And now I say to you. I love you Mom. BYE FOR NOW!
Love,
Chris
I’m gonna miss you mom. I’m going to miss our times together, our lunches out, antiquing, and cherry picking days. All our talks and life stories we would tell. So many things you have taught me, that I will never forget. I learned our family tradition passed down for years, how to can, and how to make jam. We canned and froze all our own homegrown vegetables and fruit. I have many fond memories of you to keep close in my heart. I think of you everyday, and I am thankful for everyday I had with you! You were an Amazing woman. I Love You mom!!! Bye for now……..
My Mother is the most amazing person I could possibly have had for a mother. Filling her shoes would be impossible. I have lived my whole life at her side, assisting her on our horse farm. Learning from her and loving her. The knowledge she had of horses, farming, antiques, family history was endless. People that boarded their horse with her said: she was a walking encyclopedia, that was a good way to describe her. I have so many memories I have shared with her of riding, fixing fence, clearing the trails, getting stable supplies, shopping, going antiquing, publishing her books, talking and telling stories. There will never be another Jeanne Yawman, and I’m proud to have been lucky enough to have had her for my mother. I miss you mom, Love your daughter Terry
My thoughts and prayers are with you, Chris, Terry, Wendy, and Scott. Praying for your peace and comfort in the days and weeks ahead.
Vivian Murphy
When I was a child, I saw my grandma frequently; for family meals on Sundays, for holidays, and for lots of hard work. Picking apples or cherries or strawberries or well, anything. Spending hours canning. Maybe bringing in hay for the winter. She worked hard, and we worked hard. I marveled at her art skills, her ability to paint, to draw horses, and her passion for things of the past. To say she was untraditional seems too understated. She loved horses for her whole life. She and my Grandfather built an enormous boarding stable and made their joy their business. She was still caring for horses until well into her 80s. She drew horses, she trained and rode horses, She wrote about horses, and she dreamed of horses. She knew what kids were in a photo by the horses in the pic. And yes, there were almost always horses in the pic. She had an artistic flair. She once setup an entire darkroom in her living room. I marveled enviously at the blocks she made my brother of 4x4s cut into cubes and decoupaged then varnished until the fumes made her sick. Varnish. There were always things to “varnish”, often rocks, sometimes wood. Sometimes the hand painted name plaques she made for all the horses. Including mine. I hung them proudly at the Fair on my horse’s stalls. She could write! History stood no chance of slipping by undocumented with my Grandmother on watch. She had a typewriter with the coolest font I was so taken with as a child. She typed and wrote and documented. Boxes and boxes of her notes remain. And the final product? Books. She published books. She had her poetry published in big beautiful volumes. She self-published when she deemed it necessary, and she shared her gifts with the world. She was her town’s historian for many years, she worked passionately to build a collection that told the story of her little town’s humble beginnings. After her resignation, when the position was filled with a person of questionable intent who emptied the museum of so many of these items my Grandma’s heart was broken. She did what she could do to get items back that had been traded or sold away, she used her limited resources, and then she did what she knew how to do. She wrote. Determined not to let her town’s heritage slip away, she wrote it down.
When I was a college student, I would swing by and have tea, and some toast with her homemade jam or apple butter and we’d talk. We always drank Red Rose tea from pretty teacups that you retrieved from various china cabinets or plate rails. You picked the one you wanted. None matched and they were all lovely. It was a hard choice. She grew wild roses, always. At least as long as I can remember. Nothing fussy, just big beautiful bushy wild roses.
It wasn’t until I was reading her final book that I realized how much of her carried on. I thought my life was so vastly different from hers, different time, different world and yet the lessons her father taught her sound like the same things I tell my son. I had always marveled at my Grandmother’s strength and abilities, but I didn’t realize how many of them came before her and followed after her. My mother has so many of the same talents, and it makes me smirk when people comment on my mother or sister or my passion or ability to get things done. The apple butter must not fall far from the tree. My Grandma passed on from this world on her own terms. At home, surrounded by those who love and cherished her. But her words and her passion will live on, she made sure of it.
To: WENDY and family sorry for your lost. Sending out Prayers that you stay strong in your Faith. And may Family and Friends surround you with Love.
It’s more than just a name.
I’ve always liked that I carry my grandmother’s name. When I was a little girl, it made me smile when Mom would say, “Jeanne Marie and Jeanne Marie.” I knew it was special then, but the meaning has changed for me with time, as so many things do. Years have taught me more about the amazing woman I’m honored to call Grandma.
Sometimes I feel my memories of childhood with Grandma are few. However when you really add them up, there’s quite a pile.
Christmas at Grandma’s house. Santa Clauses from across the world and across time in her big bay window. Wrapping paper so thick and beautiful you didn’t dare tear it when you opened your present (which was usually tied up with red yarn to top it all off)
The metal puzzles that hung behind the potbelly stove were too difficult for me, but I was fascinated by them. I swear grandma knew how to solve every single one of them.
I remember her beautiful teacups.
The pony in her living room. Yes, a real one. Why not.
The grand scale of her boarding stable and arena, and the beautiful horses within. Entering that barn felt like a royal stable to me.
Giant bubble blowing….. and so much more.
Our perspective changes as we grow. I’m no longer a child. I hold those memories dear, but it’s the woman I found her to be as an adult that leaves me most in awe. Jeanne Marie Yawman belongs to a line of powerful women. My mother passed her name on to me, but also so much more. Grandma taught us to value hard work, history, family, preservation, and perseverance. She showed us to keep those things you hold dear close to your heart. In recent years I’ve come to see how much she has influenced the woman I am today. I’m proud to see bits of her determination and values in my own life. I’m so glad to have her books and stories, that I may continue to know her more. Her legacy lives on in each of us that were blessed to know her in life.
Mom and Dad named me Jeanne Marie. It’s more than just a name. It’s a testament of love and a legacy I’m proud to be a part of.
Never in my life have I had writers block.. but to try to write a tribute about a woman who was one of the best writers I’ve ever seen, and definitely the best I’ve ever known.. it’s harder then I thought. My grandmother was so wise, her thoughts and soul ran so deep within, she opened my mind every time she told a story from her past or shared her opinion’s on life. I’ve alway’s been inspired by her strength and perseverance, we used to think she might never leave us, since she still worked hard and did chores daily up until very recently! I am proud to say I am her Grandaughter and because of her passion for history I know where I came from, it is because of her that things like heirlooms and pictures mean so much to our family, she gave even the smallest things so much meaning and taught us to appreciate what we have, things have never been just handed to the people in our family.. always earned, and for that we are stronger, because of my Grandmother our family won’t ever be the type to take things for granted, and we will all continue to instill that value in our children for generations, she left more then a mark on this world, this woman changed many lives, she truly lived, she was pure of heart and honest, she may not have been the woman to coddle you when you cried, or hold your hand through life, she did better then that, she made us find strength in ourselves instead and I’ll always love her for that, I’m so glad my children and I got to spend some of her last hours with her and we all were able to say I love you one last time, I won’t forget her last words to me, “you have beautiful children and you’re a good mom” that meant a lot to hear and in her eyes I saw the same love my mom shows me, and I knew that was her way of saying goodbye, and we shared one last hug, I’m glad she doesn’t have to suffer anymore, of all the woman in this world she’s earned her right to peace more then anyone. I love you so much grandma, and I promise the things you held dear to your heart will never be forgotten!
I am truly sorry for your loss. I remember my childhood learning how to ride horses. Prayers to all of you. KelliJune Coyle (Northrup)
I am so sorry to hear of your mothers passing. She sounds like she was an amazing person. I’m sorry I did not know her except in passing. I think I would have loved to talk with her as I share many of the interest she had.
I hope you find peace knowing that you were able to care for her the way she had wanted.
My family and I have been honored to be neighbors and friends with Jeanne and her family. We have always enjoyed the times we get together to sing, play, share meals and serve each other as neighbors do. We will miss seeing Jeanne’s pleasure in the simple things of life. In a world that seems to spin ever faster and faster, it was a joy to find a kindred soul that shared the love of times past, simpler lifestyle and good relationships built between friends and family.
We continue to pray for Jeanne’s entire family, that you will all find times when you can reflect and still hear the echoes of Jeanne’s legacy as she lived the example of less complexity and more joyful time spent in great relationships with each other.
What a remarkable woman Jeanne Yawman was. She left a beautiful legacy in her children and grandchildren. From her, they learned honor, compassion, love of family and the value of work. She faithfully kept the grand old traditions. I have been honored to know and love my dear sister-in-law, Jeanne Yawman. May God give you rest. Marty Yawman