Jean Wright Morse died peacefully on September 17, 2025, at age 95. She had lived the last decade of her life at Carriage House and Trinity Springs in Oxford, Florida.
Jean was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1930, to Charles Adshead and Helen Turner (McCormack) Wright. Her father was a journalist and her mother was a bookkeeper.
Jean graduated from Haverford High School in 1947 and Denison University in 1951. Soon after, she met Howard Arthur Morse. Family legend says that after a first date in which Howard beat Jean at miniature golf, he knew he had to marry her because she was the only person who was worse at the game than he was. They were married in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, on June 28, 1952. The couple had three children: Elizabeth Morse, Nancy Benson, and William Morse.
Jean received a Masters of Science in Education from the State University of New York at Fredonia and spent her career as a remedial reading teacher, first in Ripley and then Fredonia Central School in western New York. She admitted that the work could be trying but said that when you were able to see a child reach the point of no longer needing help, it was worth the effort.
Jean was active in the Fredonia community, volunteering at Fredonia United Methodist Church as the superintendent of children’s Sunday school, a teacher, and a member of the Morning Circle. She was a Meals on Wheels driver, facilitated Red Cross blood banks, helped transport patients at Brooks Memorial Hospital, and was a member of the League of Women Voters of Chautauqua County. Through the Elderhostel program, Jean and Howard traveled the world.
When she relocated to Oxford, Florida, in 2015, she was equally active in the Carriage House community, welcoming newbies and playing cards until the end of her life. In 2025, she moved to Trinity Springs. She attended New Covenant United Methodist Church. She was a lifelong voracious reader and plowed through multiple books a week, chronicling each title and a brief reaction on notecards: “good book” or “slow but I’m glad I read it.”
Jean treasured time with family. She loved annual reunion trips to Lakeside, Ohio; sitting around a table sharing stories or rolling Farkle dice; and piling into the 6-seater golf cart for meandering drives with people she loved.
She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth; sons-in-law Alan Benson and Larry Osterman; grandchildren Sarah Benson, Elisa Benson and Natalie Howard; great-grandchildren Rae, Griffin, and Simon; and her grandsons-in-law Peter Gaston and JJ Howard. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Howard, and children Nancy and William.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Fredonia Opera House in Fredonia, New York.