In Memory of

Jean

Scanlon

Obituary for Jean Scanlon

Laura Jean (Miles) Scanlon, 85
Litchfield, CT/Zephyrhills, FL

Jean Scanlon, 85 years young, passed away on April 11, 2018 surrounded by her children. She was born to the late Albert and Eleanor Miles on April 22, 1932 in Torrington, Ct. A lifelong resident of Litchfield, CT, Jean attended Litchfield High School and graduated in 1950. She received her nursing degree from Hartford Hospital School of Nursing in 1952. It was here in Litchfield where she met and married her one true love, Jack Scanlon. This is where they built their home and lived together for over 50 years. Together they raised their five children and took care of their 15 grandchildren. Their home was the magnetic force that drew everyone back. It was the epicenter of family life.
Jean was a school nurse in the Litchfield Public Schools for more than 30 years. Jean’s passion for helping others was not only evident in her nursing career but through the various organizations she volunteered with over the years. She organized the annual Thanksgiving Day Basket drive, assisted underserved families with various needs, volunteered at the Torrington Soup Kitchen, and for years taught CPR classes with the American Red Cross.
Jean was known for her endless energy. Productivity was her modus operandi. In her spare time, she was a seamstress, a quilt-maker, a gardener, and never a birthday passed without her homemade birthday cake.
After retiring from being a school nurse, Jean and Jack became snowbirds and spent their winters in Zephyrhills, FL. They thoroughly enjoyed an active lifestyle of golfing, traveling, and visiting their children and grandchildren. You knew you were in their Florida home when you pulled in and saw the welcoming UConn flag blowing in the wind. Jean was the ultimate UConn women’s basketball fan and true friends knew never to call her during the women’s games.
Some of Jean’s favorite times were spent with her family enjoying Road Race weekends, playing cards with her friends and enjoying gatherings on the deck at Bantam Lake.
Her husband of 52 years, Jack Scanlon, died in 2006. She was also predeceased by her brothers and sisters; Reginald Miles, Winifred Grabher, Lillian Bertaccini, John Miles, Albert Miles, and William Miles. Jean is survived by her five children; John Scanlon of Wallingford, CT, Kathy Rittenhouse and her husband Dirk of Saratoga Springs, NY, Michael Scanlon and his wife Lenore of Lynnfield, MA, Susan Scanlon and her husband George Sotiropoulos of Worcester, MA, and Nancy Scanlon and her husband Ken Dupee of Berkeley, CA. Jean also leaves behind 15 grandchildren: John, Claire, Thomas, Matthew, Daniel, Jack, Patrick, Katie, Taylor, Nicholas, Connor, Magdalena, Miles, Cole, and Ryan.
All are welcome to gather to honor Jean’s life at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Litchfield, CT, at 11a.m. on June 2, 2018.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Scanlon Family Scholarship Fund, at LHSSA, P.O. Box 652, Litchfield, CT, 06759. This fund supports an annual scholarship to a Litchfield High School senior to further his/her education.