Jean Granke Haefner

Jean Virginia Granke Haefner, 87, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at Hospice of Charleston.

Funeral services will be held at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, 405 King Street,  on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 11:00 am.  Jean will be buried next to her husband at Garden Park Cemetery in Conroe, TX, at a later time.  Memorials may be made to the choirs at Grace Episcopal Church, 98 Wentworth Street, Charleston, SC 29401 or Pet Helpers, 1447 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412.  ARRANGEMENTS BY J. HENRY STUHR, INC. MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.

Jean was born in La Crosse, WI, on August 30, 1924.  She graduated from Logan High School in 1942 and from St. Francis School of Nursing in 1946, both in La Crosse.  During her nursing studies, Jean wrote an article on Influenza Meningitis (an illness that afflicted her father), published in The American Journal of Nursing in July 1945.  Jean married Richard (Dick) Haefner on June 14, 1947.  Jean worked in nursing for two years and then gave up her career to raise her family.  Jean and Dick lived in Minneapolis, MN, (where daughter Paula was born) while Dick finished his studies after serving in World War II.  They moved to Park Forest, IL, and then to Aiken, SC (where son Bruce was born).  The family also lived in Belmont, MA, and Houston, TX.

Jean and Dick were active members of churches in the Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church wherever they lived.  Jean taught youth and adult Sunday School classes and studied the Bethel Bible Series.  She was a true Anglophile from her mother's English heritage; she visited England several times, once at the time of Princess Margaret's wedding (and gave Paula the middle name Elizabeth).   She served as a delegate to the 1952 Republican Convention when Eisenhower was nominated (and gave Bruce the middle name Dwight). She had an interest in archeology and writing and took college level courses in each in Aiken and Belmont, respectively.  She and Dick enjoyed hiking and introduced Bruce to Colorado with an ascent of Longs Peak.  She had a keen appreciation of music and supported Paula in all her musical endeavors.  She loved all animals and had cats and dogs when she could and supported animal charities when she could not.  She was also an avid reader, often reading two or three books at the same time. Jean played golf frequently and was active in women's golf associations in South Carolina and Texas.  Jean was president of Women's Golf Charities in Houston and helped with several LPGA tournaments there.  She spent long hours on the golf course with grandson Matt teaching him the game.  

When Dick retired in 1986, they moved to Conroe, TX, where Dick preceded Jean in death in 1988.  After a brief stay in The Woodlands, TX, Jean lived with Paula in St. Petersburg, FL, and Mt. Pleasant, SC. 

Jean is survived by daughter Paula Rossin of Mt. Pleasant, SC; son Bruce Haefner of Denver, CO; and grandson Matthew Rossin of Minneapolis, MN.