Jean Catherine Lennon, daughter of Kenneth J. and Blanca Cote (Ortiz) passed away on January 13, 2021 at the Baystate Medical Center. She is survived by daughter, Tiffany Skye Jones and her husband Shad Jones of Glens Falls, N.Y., and brother Kenneth J. Cote, Jr. and his wife Elaine Alonso Cote, of Palm City, Florida.
During WW II, Jeannie’s father, a Northampton resident, was stationed at the Coast Guard Base in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. In one of his visits to town, he met Blanca’s brother, Jose “Pepin” Ortiz, who insisted on bringing him to the family homestead. Coming through the front door, the young Coast Guardsman met and immediately fell in love with Pepin’s sister, Blanca. Following a brief courtship, the couple married. Thereafter, Blanca gave birth to Jeannie’s brother in 1945 and then to Jeannie on February 11, 1947.
The family eventually settled in Northampton, where, in 1957, her dad opened Kenny’s Restaurant, directly across the street from the Academy of Music. Jeannie attended Hawley Junior High and St. Michael’s High School. Their maternal aunt, Olga Blodgett, helped raise both siblings, often times accompanying them back to Puerto Rico during the summer vacation months to reconnect with their Island relatives and roots.
Tiffany, born in 1971, was the light of Jeannie’s life. They both graduated from the Elms College in Chicopee, Tiffany, to her mother’s everlasting pride, earning a degree as a Registered Nurse.
The family wishes to express their sincerest gratitude to the many health care professionals at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Baystate Medical Center and Northampton, who, throughout the years, lovingly helped Jeannie survive and endure numerous debilitating health issues.
Jeannie will forever remain in our hearts as a loving and compassionate mother and sister.
Williamsburg Funeral Home was entrust with her cremation. www.HampshireCremation.com
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