Jean Ross Chernick

1921 - 2019

Jean Ross Chernick passed away peacefully on December 29, 2018, joining her beloved husband of 53 years, Irving (“lrv”) Chernick, who passed away in 1996. Born and raised in San Francisco, Jean graduated from Lowell High School and the University of California, Berkeley. Jean had one brother, “Bud”, whom she adored. Jean was a fourth generation Californian. Her great-great maternal grandparents arrived in San Francisco from Germany at the time of the Gold Rush, shortly after 1849, and pioneered what was then a small rural community called Mountain View. Jean’s grandfather and great-grandfather built the family’s house on View Street in Mountain View. Jean’s mother was born in the birthing room in that house. That same house is now the restaurant Chez TJ. When Jean was 13, her parents bought a vacation home on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, a wood shingled house with a big front porch, across the street from the lake. From then on, her family spent every summer in the quiet beauty of Lake Tahoe. When Jean and lrv had their own children, that summer Tahoe tradition became multigenerational.

While attending UC Berkeley, one afternoon, Jean and some girlfriends walked into The King

Pin, a doughnut shop on Telegraph Avenue. lrv was also in The King Pin that afternoon with some of his friends. When he first set eyes on Jean, he was immediately smitten. He turned to his friends and said, ‘‘I’m going to marry that girl” ... and they were married on January 16, 1944.

Jean and lrv started their family in San Francisco ... Clifford was born in 1946 and Jan in 1949. From San Francisco they moved to San Carlos and finally to Menlo Park. lrv practiced Optometry in Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, and Jean was at home, a mother and homemaker. In addition, Jean was an active volunteer in organizations and causes that mattered to her. Amongst those were the years Jean spent volunteering in Cliff and Jan’s elementary and middle schools. For example, Jean helped to organize one of the first cooperative nursery schools in San Francisco. Jean also volunteered for many years at the International Center at Stanford University. With her life-long interest in people of different cultures, Jean often met individually with people from other countries to help them improve their English. Over the years, a number of these people became family friends.

People were easily drawn to Jean. Her genuine interest in others and her capacity to listen to them engendered relationships that lasted many years. The family had a running joke that when Jean would exit an elevator with “fellow passengers,” we would ask her if she had asked any of them to join us for Thanksgiving. Cliff and Jan’s friends often congregated at their home because it was relaxed, Mom was always available to talk, laugh, listen and support, and the refrigerator always had the best food! During this time, Jean and lrv and a group of close friends became very involved as charter members of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills.

Jean’s role as mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother (“Gigi”) were most important to her. She leaves a legacy of love and devotion to family to: her son Cliff and his wife, Melissa Mason and her daughter Jan and her husband, Wesley Schroeder; her grandchildren Eryn and her husband, Michael Johnson, Devin and his wife, Marianne Schroeder, Spencer Chernick, the late Brandon Chernick, and Samantha Tucker; her great-grandchildren Benjamin, William and Emilie Johnson. As children, Mom, Grandma, Gigi took each of us into the garden and gave us “the flower lecture.” She wanted us to see all the beautiful flowers in all the different colors and to understand that, just like people, each flower was unique and that together, the garden was beautiful. When Mom was no longer able to be fully independent, in addition to her family, she was blessed with a dear friend and very special caregivers. Our family would like to offer our love and appreciation to: Vandana Bhumralkar, who defined friendship with a loving presence; Suliana Moimoi for the years she demonstrated her love and commitment to Mom’s care; Ana Moala, who was the tender and loving rock for Mom’s care for nearly ten years; Ana Ramirez, who joined with Ana Moala for the last year of Mom’s life to become our “angels” who, with their skills and experience, surrounded Mom with their love until the very end. Mom would have celebrated her 98th birthday on February 10th.

Our Mother, Jean, was a lady with grace and she made a difference in many lives.

A burial, with family present, will take place at Alta Mesa Cemetery on February 8th. A Gathering for family and friends will be held that afternoon at the home of Jean’s daughter, Jan, in Los Altos and will begin at 3:00pm.