Jeanne Eden Benish Hasbrook
TUCSON, AZ - Jeanne Eden Benish Hasbrook, 89, of Tucson, Arizona, died peacefully on October 10, 2022 after a brief illness. Loving mother of Laurie Hasbrook (Sam Guardino), Julie Hasbrook Reuteman (Joe), and Steve (Kristin) Hasbrook; devoted grandmother of Stephen and Louis Guardino and Marcus Parker, Joey (Corey) Reuteman-Fowler and Charlie Reuteman, and Keegan (Sam Smith), Kellie, and Shannon Hasbrook; dear sister-in-law of Barbara (Roubik) Hasbrook, and Dr. Thomas Plouff. Jeanne is fondly remembered by her nieces, nephews, extended family and dear friends. Jeanne was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 62 years, Edward “Ted” Hasbrook, her parents, Loretto (Tormey) and George Benish; parents-in-law, Jane (Burrall) and Edward Hasbrook; brothers, Robert “Bobby” Benish, and George Albert Benish; brothers-in-law Thomas and Peter Hasbrook, and Mickey Kelly; sisters-in-law, Caryl (Kennedy) Benish and Tita (Hasbrook) Kelly Plouff; nephew, George William Benish, and treasured grandson, Shane Locke Hasbrook. Born February 9, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeanne grew up north of the city in the village of Whitefish Bay on Day Avenue, where she could see Lake Michigan from her bedroom window. “Jeannie” to her many childhood friends was outgoing and athletic. She met her lifelong best friend Roberta “Bobbie” (Brenk) McLaughlin in kindergarten. Jeannie swam often in Lake Michigan at Klode Beach in the summer, and spent countless hours ice skating at Klode Park, or snow skiing at local hills in the winter. Jeanne graduated from St. Monica Grade School, and Whitefish Bay High School. After two years at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, Jeanne transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she pledged Kappa Alpha Theta sorority (Psi chapter).
An adventurer at heart, Jeanne traveled by train to Portland, Oregon after college graduation, to work as a speech therapist. Returning to Whitefish Bay a year later, a chance meeting with Ted led to a whirlwind romance. After several months dating, Jeanne accepted Ted’s marriage proposal, written in the sand at Klode Beach. Jeanne and Ted married on August 24, 1957, settling in Whitefish Bay to raise their family. Jeanne was a devoted mother who modeled civic engagement and community involvement to her three children. The tragic death of her teenage brother Bobby in the Battle of the Bulge (WWII) when she was only 12, gave Jeanne an intimate knowledge of the heartbreak and incalculable cost of war on families. A life-long advocate for peace and humanitarian causes, Jeanne exemplified “Think globally, act locally.” Whether as a Girl Scout leader, a classroom volunteer at Harambee Community School, or an active member of the League of Women Voters, Jeanne devoted herself to others. Ever social, Jeanne played doubles bridge and tennis with Ted, and bowled in a “Ladies League” at Echo Bowl. Weekends during football season, devoted fan Jeanne could be found outside with the radio on, loudly cheering her beloved Badgers or Packers while doing yard work in the Hasbrook’s Whitefish Bay backyard. But Jeanne’s sense of elegant refinement was equally apparent when she dressed up for Jabberwocky Dance Club galas with Ted. Breathtaking!
In retirement, Jeanne and Ted moved to Tucson, a city whose natural beauty and rich Southwestern culture they loved. They lived the majority of their 30-plus years in Tucson in the Sonoran Palms neighborhood, where they made more lasting friendships, and enjoyed daily trips to the community pool and jacuzzi. Jeanne had a myriad of adventures with her close Tucson friend, Mary Rhodes, attending water aerobics classes (“Jeanne loved to chat more than exercise”), and trying new restaurants in diverse corners of the city. Jeanne volunteered at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens of Tucson, where she was a docent, as well as at a Tucson medical clinic that served refugee families, reading to and playing board games with children. Into her 80s, Jeanne chauffeured while Ted navigated as they delivered meals to families for the St. Vincent DePaul Society of St. Francis Cabrini Parish. Throughout their years in Tucson, Jeanne and Ted visited the Redemptorist Retreat Center, praying the Stations of the Cross and walking beneath the sacred Hohokam Indian petroglyphs. Together, they made an annual Christmas retreat at nearby Desert House of Prayer. Jeanne’s family will be forever grateful to Stephanie Frederick, Integrative RN Patient Advocate, Cinthya Hurtado (Jeanne’s “third daughter”), Casa de la Luz Hospice, and the fabulous staff at Via Elegante Assisted Living & Memory Care - The Galleria. Their love and care for Jeanne in her final years kept her happily engaged in life. Gifts in Jeanne’s memory can be made to the “Shane Locke Hasbrook Endowment Fund” c/o Children’s Wisconsin Foundation, M.S. 3050, P.O. Box 1997, Milwaukee, WI. 53201 (set up by son Steve and his wife Kristin in memory of their infant son Shane). Arrangements by NEPTUNE SOCIETY. Services private.