Jeanne Josephine Reid White passed away May 9, 2026, just two hours shy of Mother’s Day after a nine-year battle with breast cancer.

Born December 9, 1955, the fourth child and second daughter of Jim and Madelyn Reid, Jeanne landed exactly where she loved to be most: smack dab in the middle of her family of eight. Being a Reid girl was a source of enormous pride for Jeanne. Her respect and adoration for her parents was enviable and her siblings remained her truest soulmates in life.

As a girl growing up in Brownstown, she loved participating in youth activities with Vallonia United Methodist Church like Sunday school, choir and paper drives. She was a proud Girl Scout and a lifeguard at Starve-Hollow lake. An active student at Brownstown Central High School, class of 1974, she made good grades, swam on the swim team and was a cheerleader. She went on to cheer at the collegiate level at Evansville University, where she pledged the Chi Omega sorority and earned her bachelor’s degree in education.

Jeanne was a typical Sagittarius who thrived on adventure and spontaneity, so becoming an American Airlines flight attendant was a natural fit. The small-town girl was first based in New York City and later Dallas, where she would meet her husband, Capt. Jim White. Even after retirement, Jeanne lived with her suitcase packed and one eye on her next destination. Some favorite routes included Paris, Milan, and Madrid. Personally, she traveled the world with Jim and dear friends, most notably in her mind to Kenya, Zimbabwe, Peru, the French Riviera, Ireland, Scotland, Tahiti, and the Costa Brava. In conversations about travel, Jeanne could almost always smile and say, “I’ve been there”.

After Dallas, Jeanne & Jim moved to Pensacola Beach where they spent many years enjoying the company of close friends and relatives before moving to Vero Beach, where they raised their children. Jeanne poured herself into her community volunteering with the Junior League, lending her talents to the Riverside Theatre’s Festival of Trees and participating in countless school fundraisers. She taught kindergarten at Saint Edward’s School alongside her friend and mentor, Barbara Mohler, and coached her beloved St. Ed’s Junior Varsity Cheerleaders.

She had a light and optimistic spirit and a gift for making you feel included. An absolute wiz at rearranging your furniture, optimizing your kitchen drawer organization or concocting a fabulous salad for your dinner party, she was a steadfast friend and neighbor who could be counted on. She loved to entertain and would forage the tropical flora of Castaway Cove (Wave II) to create her beautiful tablescapes. She was fiercely dedicated to sending birthday cards filled with confetti and candles to the nearly 50 members of the Reid clan year after year.

She had impeccable taste and a gift for making her home feel inviting, as evidenced by the droves of Marlow and Marko’s friends who frequented their family home. She’d wake up energized on Saturday mornings suggesting fun activities for the day, “let’s ride bikes around Pebble Bay!”, “let’s go to the beach!”, “let’s swim at Riomar!”, “let’s organize the garage!”.

She was loyal and could be trusted with secrets; she listened and gave thoughtful advice. She’d hang up before you could say “goodbye, I love you,” and bragged about her kids to a bit of an embarrassing degree. She taught us to “rise above” and instilled in us a spirit of kindness and inclusivity that she modeled. Her beloved cairn terriers, Buddy and Rusty, worshipped the ground she walked on. She was drop-dead gorgeous, hated feeling judged, had a great laugh, dressed impeccably well and kept an angel figurine with her at all times. She forbade us from serving cubed cheese or Ritz crackers at her funeral and picked out her own playlist including the likes of Diana Ross and The Supremes, Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Van Morrison and Delbert McClintock. She sought unconditional love, the world often falling short, and most of all she tried and tried, always giving her best. Above all else, she was a wonderful mother who loved raising her kids.

When I think of our mom I’ll think of the sun. I will picture her eating a pepperoncini pepper from the jar, letting the hot rollers out of her perfect hair or painting her toe nails by our pool. I will forever grieve the time that we lost, and I will always feel immense gratitude for the mother she was and the person she made me.

Jeanne is survived by her children, Marlow and Marko; grand-dogs Oscar and Sunny; siblings Carol, Kathy, Pam, and Kord; siblings-in-law (whom she considered siblings) Connie, Kim, Joe, Dave and Mel; along with many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Madelyn Reid; brothers Jimmy and John Reid; her niece, Madelynn Miller Reid; and father to her children, Jim White.

Her funeral service will be held on Monday, May 25, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Vallonia United Methodist Church, 2227 South Main Street, Vallonia, IN 47281.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.johnsonfh.net.