Jean Z. Forden

Niantic — On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the spirit of Jean Z. Forden Morgan McCloy rose gently toward the heaven she so richly deserved.

Loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother, she was generous to family, friends, and strangers alike, leading by example or with kind counsel. She could build a stone wall, tap dance or host a dinner, all with grace and humility, never thinking herself special nor thinking of herself at all.

Born on a small farm in Ivoryton, she was one of five who learned to work hard and share what she’d earned. She had many treasured friends, but would often leave them to go in service of strangers, spending many years driving for Red Cross and delivering Meals On Wheels, along with other smaller efforts. A bowler, golfer, parasailer when nearly 90, she was fun, adventurous, loyal and an example of “The Greatest Generation.”

She leaves behind two sisters, Helen and Bette; nieces and nephews; a son, Harvard, his former wife, Suzanne; children of two successive husbands; biological grandchildren, Lauren and Alexander; as well as a slew of inherited grandchildren, great-grandkids, Fiona and Julian, and other equally-loved great-grandkids, along with an untold number of friends, all of whom would receive cards and gifts on time and on point. Whew! Although unquestionably a gentle soul, she was determined, resilient, and collaborative. Still, she worried that she wasn’t doing enough. She was, truly, irreplaceable.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Church of St. Peter Claver, 47 Pleasant St., West Hartford. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Calling hours will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22, and from 9 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, at the Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 136 South Main St., West Hartford.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross. For online condolences please visit www. taylorandmodeen.com.