Jean Turner, 97, died July 21, 2020 at St. Andrews Village in Boothbay Harbor.

Born and raised on a farm in Osceola, Iowa, she graduated from Osceola High School and continued her education at the American Institute of Business. As her contribution to the war effort, she worked as a volunteer Red Cross Nurses’ Aide at Iowa Methodist Hospital. Jean moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1945, where she worked for General Motors, later transferring to Denver, Colorado with the same company.

Jean and her husband Marvin shared a passion for horses and married in New Mexico in 1951. Marvin was a horse trainer, which meant that their new homes lasted from a few weeks to a few months. Horse training travels took them across much of the Midwest, West and South. An exceptional seamstress, Jean even created detailed Western shirts for her husband. After she and Marvin settled in South Texas, Jean worked for the Dougherty family, which owned extensive ranching, oil and gas interests. She started as a secretary to their attorney, later became secretary to the Land Manager and then continued their work on her own after the deaths of both the attorney and Land Manager. Jean’s office expertise, writing talent, fierce organization skills and horrific handwriting meant that she spent a great deal of time at work and at home at a typewriter. Jean could still be found at the typewriter until just a few months before her death. With an eagle eye and sharp wit, she loved words, reading and patroling grammar and punctuation. Though Jean retired in 2001, she continued working for the Dougherty family part-time until the age of 82. A relatively new driver at that point, Jean and a friend made a cross-country road trip to get Jean settled in Maine to be closer to her niece.

Jean was predeceased by her husband Marvin in 1994. She is survived by her niece, Janis van Hasselt and her husband Tony of East Boothbay; her great niece Kristen McEvoy of Brunswick; and great nephew Barry McEvoy of Portland. Animal connections were a lifelong joy and Jean was most concerned about leaving behind her much-loved feline companion, Lacey.

At Jean’s request, there was no service and she has been buried next to her husband in Beeville, Texas.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Alan Barker for years of compassionate care, St. Andrews Assisted Living for their extra and appreciated efforts in supporting Jean, Lacey and many others during the isolation of COVID-19 precautions, Beacon Hospice staff for their kind end-of life care and friend Howard Hollis for giving Jean the one thing she looked forward to doing each day — opening his daily dose of creative, thoughtful and funny mail.