Jeanette M. Hanifen, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away on October 16, 2023. Just three days shy of her 100th birthday, Jeanette’s life was well-lived and full of love.
Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. at Arnold Funeral Home on Friday, October 20. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 21, at St. Brendan Catholic Church. Burial will take place at Grand View Burial Park in Hannibal, following Mass.
Jeanette was born on October 19, 1923, to Fred Montgomery and Carrie Watts Montgomery. The middle of five children, she was fiercely protective of her younger siblings, Paul and Jane, and tagged along with all the shenanigans of her older brothers, Kenneth and John. One particular story that comes to mind is the time she and Kenneth were playing on an ice floe on the shore of Lake Michigan and started drifting away. The two jumped in the freezing water to make their way to shore, then walked home knowing full well they’d be in a heap of trouble. Jeanette was no stranger to making trouble on her own, either — often telling the tale of buying gum for a penny every day on the way to school and splitting it with her friend Lillian, only to “get their knuckles whacked” by the school nuns. “It never dawned on us not to do that!” she’d say with a chuckle.
At 17 years old, Jeanette got her first job as a page at the Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co. in Chicago. Eventually, she was promoted to the Trust Records Department. It was there in the 1940s that she met the love of her life, Jim Hanifen. They were married in a casual ceremony in the priest’s living room on June 17, 1950, where Jeanette bucked tradition in a peach wedding dress with shoes dyed to match. During the following years, the couple was blessed with three children: James Gregory, Christine and Kathleen. Downers Grove, Ill., became their home base for the next four decades.
The family often traveled on grandiose weeks-long vacations, including to California, New Mexico, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. During retirement, Jeanette and Jim flew across the pond to the United Kingdom in search of new sights. From Scottish castles to Irish pubs and everything in between, they loved the culture so much they made the trip three times. In 1995, the couple moved to Missouri. At home, Jeanette enjoyed gardening, reading mystery novels, playing card games and the occasional vodka and tonic (tall glass, extra lime).
For Jeanette, family was the center of her world. No one could hold a candle to her three children, and she was forever spoiling her grandkids, who could always count on fresh cookies in her kitchen and cards for every birthday and holiday. But it was her great-grandchildren who made her smile most in her later years, and it wasn’t uncommon to find her sitting on the floor and playing with babies well into her 90s.
At times, her battle with dementia robbed her of her mind — but never her spirit. She took joy in the little things, like the doodles and drawings of her great-grandkids and an afternoon bowl of M&Ms. She came to be known for her fun-loving feistiness and will be desperately missed.
She was preceded in death by her mother, father, brothers, sister and husband of 71 years. She is survived by her three children: James Gregory “Greg” Hanifen (Patti), Christine (David) Johnson and Kathleen (Cliff) Gronauer; six grandchildren: Carrie (Mike) Sesterhenn, Emily (Jason) DelSoldato, Andrew (Tara) Gronauer and Amy (Kevin) Martens, Anna (Kevin) Snyder-Kelly and Jane Snyder; six great-grandchildren: Reece, Brett, Elaina, Hudson, Alyssa, Everett and Eleanor; sister-in-law Elaine Montgomery; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to the Mexico Audrain County Library in Mexico, Mo., and Knox County Humane Society in Galesburg, Ill.
Online condolences may be left at www.arnoldfh.com
