Jean Ware Nelson, 94
On April 9, 2013, Jean Ware Nelson passed away peacefully in her apartment at the Bonaventure Retirement Home in Boise 23 days short of her 95th birthday. She was born in Coeur d’Alene on May 2, 1918, to Ralph and Jeannette Nelson during the Spanish Flu Epidemic. Jean and other members of the family contracted the disease and baby Jean was not expected to survive. Jean not only survived, she went on to have a long, full life.
She attended grade school in Coeur d’Alene. In the sixth grade, her mother took Jean; her brothers, Spencer and Ralph; and cousin, Mary Ware to Europe where Jean attended school for a year. She returned to school in Coeur d’Alene until her junior year when she and her mother went around the world and stopped in Paris where Jean attended school for a year. She was the third generation to attend Vassar, having enrolled since she was 1. She graduated in 1939 and went to work for her father’s insurance company.
In 1944 Jean joined the Foreign Service for the U.S. Department of State. She served in Turkey, Romania and Czechoslovakia as a cryptographer. After the war, Jean attended Stanford University where she earned her doctorate in history. She then joined SRI (Stanford Research Institute) until retirement 27 years later. In 1998 she was inducted into the SRI Hall Of Fame. Jean was referred to as a versatile pioneer among women researchers, who altered her own career as SRI’s and clients’ needs changed. She broke many gender barriers in the field of research.
Her interest in traveling continued as she joined the Ralph Nelson family on many family vacations. In the 1980s Jean enjoyed travels to Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe with Ralph and Parm Nelson and Louise Shadduck. Although she lived most of her life in the Bay Area, she often returned to nurture her relationship with family and friends in the Coeur d’Alene area, and continued a family interest in the Coeur d’Alene library with support for the new library.
Because of her intelligence and wit, she made many friends in the Bay Area. She enjoyed an active social life and enjoyed the opera, symphony, the San Francisco Giants and Stanford football. Although she never married, she stayed active in the lives of her siblings and their children. Her family remembers her fondly for the affection, time and energy she was always willing to give. Upon the death of her longtime friend and roommate, Lee Romasko, she decided to move to Boise to be near family. It was a courageous move from her longtime home and good friends, but she never looked back. She remained upbeat and thankful for all of her gifts.
Jean was a great storyteller remembering stories and anecdotes from an interesting career and great life. She will be remembered fondly by all those who knew her.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4, 2013, at Bonaventure Place in Boise. You may visit Jean’s memorial and sign her online guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.