Jean E. Groner

Kalkaska – Jean Groner went home to enjoy an early spring with Jesus on January 1, 2023. Jean spent her entire life fascinated by, enjoying, and taking comfort in cloud formations and it is her family’s hope that she finds them even better from above. She was preceded in death by her parents Charles L. & Sarah E. (Rosenburg) Stuck, son Daniel J. Groner, and eldest sister Barbara (Don) Lambert. She is survived by her husband of 65 years (in March 2023) Norman, daughter JoAnne, granddaughters Ellie, and Zoie, sister Alice (DeRay) Lund, brother Jesse “Butch” (Marylou) Stuck, and brother Patrick (Karen) Stuck, 6 nieces, and 5 nephews. Jean was born 12-16-1936 in Sharon, MI; the second eldest of 5 children. She attended the Sharon School through eighth grade and then Kalkaska High School where she met her future husband Norman Groner. She and Norman wed on March 6th, 1958, Norman departed for Schweinfurt, Germany on March 8th, and Jean followed a couple of months later. Jean returned from Germany just ahead of Norman who returned in August of 1959. She and Norman began building their current home late in 1963, moving into it in July 1965. Jean worked at Burwood Products in Traverse City, until just prior to the adoption of their daughter JoAnne in the spring of 1966. Jean and Norman later adopted their son Daniel in the autumn of 1970. During the leisure time that raising children affords, Jean taught Sunday School and a mid-week youth group at Excelsior Church of Christ. She was a member of the Town and Country Helping Hands Club, and the Crawford School School Board. She was also a leader in Kalkaska’s 4-H Program where she taught sewing, crafting, candle making, and painting. Additionally, she served as Treasurer for Excelsior Township and became a clerk in the Kalkaska County Equalization Department where she worked for 19 years, retiring in 1997. Jean was a very artistic and creative person, and instilled a great love and appreciation of the arts in her children. She enjoyed reading for knowledge; devouring books of poetry, birds, Native American history and culture, gardening, herbs, painting, art and crafts, biblical exploration and study, and every issue of National Geographic for 50+ years. She had an intense appreciation of color and the presence of color in every aspect of her life was very important to her. She loved writing poetry, drawing, painting, sewing, quilting, jewelry-making, crocheting, and designing house and “she shed” floor plans, but her greatest joys were poetry and gardening. She was a prolific gardener and spent years cultivating and caring for her Better Homes & Garden’s quality flower, rock, and water garden. On several occasions, a stroll through her Garden of Eden inspired visitors to begin their own gardening exploration. She remembered poetry memorized during her earliest years of grade school until her death; constantly adding more works to her repertoire along the way. The same was true of music; her husband and daughter recall, rarely did a day go by without Jean responding to something experienced, seen, or heard, by singing a portion of a song or reciting a stanza of a poem. She was a deeply feeling, loving, and generous person, always concerned about the well-being and comfort of others; be they family, friends, or people elsewhere in the world. She ended each day with quiet time spent with God, her Bible, and several reference and devotional books. She prayed perpetually, again, for family, friends, and people elsewhere in the world that she may never have known here but will come to know in heaven. Per Jean’s request, cremation has taken place through Kalkaska Funeral and Cremation Services. Please join Jean’s family as they honor her at a celebration of her life, and her contributions as a wife, mother, sister, aunt and community member. Her celebration will be held at Kalkaska United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the charity of your choice in Jean’s name.

Jean E. Groner

December 16, 1936 - January 1, 2023