Obituaries Dr. Jeanne Marcoux Bolen
Jeanne Marcoux (Horan) Bolen passed on February 2, 2022, to join her Savior.
She was born on May 13, 1926, In Troy, NY, to Rev. Harvey Marcoux and Oran Logan Marcoux as the first of four children in their family. The Marcouxs subsequently moved to New Orleans, La., in 1927, where Jeanne and her brothers and sister were raised. Their house was always filled with music and literature since her father was both an Episcopal priest and English professor at Tulane University, and her mother was a librarian. The family was also augmented by an endless succession of dogs always brought home by her father.
Jeanne attended Mcmain High School (Class of 1941) and Newcomb College (Class of 1945) in New Orleans where she was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, Beta Beta Beta, Alpha Epsilon Iota, and Phi Beta Kappa. She attended Tulane Medical School, earning her medical degree in 1945, as one of only two women in her class. As was expected of female physicians at the time, she specialized in pediatrics. After internships and residencies in Salt Lake City and San Francisco, Jeanne established a practice on the pediatric staff at Charity Hospital until 1959, when she began to raise a family.
Always one to believe in re-inventing one’s self, Jeanne forged a diverse medical career. When she became dissatisfied with her pediatric practice, she returned to the academy to engage a residency in psychiatry. This became her practice for the next few decades, serving on the medical staff at the VA Hospital in Memphis, and later at the Frasier-millington Mental Health Center. Again, growing restless, Jeanne turned her professional focus and practice to physiatrics and spinal cord medicine, returning to the VA from which she retired in 1996.
As one who always engaged with the world, Jeanne actively pursued interests outside the medical field. She was an accomplished, award-winning ballroom dancer, whose specialties were Rumba and Tango. An active outdoors person, she enjoyed hiking in far-flung regions of the United States, from the Appalachian Mountains, to the desert Southwest, always taking notes and making photographs of what she experienced. Jeanne was also an avid, insightful reader, even going so far as to write book reviews for her college newspaper. Books were a constant companion. From her childhood on, she maintained her love for animals, especially her dogs and cats. However, her greatest passion and her primary focus was always her family as a loving wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Everyone who knew her was warmed by her presence.
Jeanne was preceded in death by her parents Harvey and Oran Marcoux, her brother, Harvey Marcoux Jr., and her sister, Fleur Marcoux Mccrocklin.
She is survived by her husband, Allen Bolen, her brother Michael Marcoux (Mia), her son David Horan (Pam), sister-in-law and brother-in-law Phyllis and Robert Johnson, and a host of nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Canale Funeral Home has charge. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 12th in Quilling Memorial Chapel at Holy Communion Episcopal Church in Memphis, with visitation starting at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to The Church Health Center in Memphis.