nd so this fragile mortal yields;
Her spirit gains its birth.
To travel realms no flesh abides;
Unbound, unbridled, and unearthed.
Jerry Gage
Jeanne, loving mother, grandmother to Joe and Adam, and treasured friend to many, died peacefully at her Cornwall-on-Hudson home, held by her loving daughter.
Jeanne’s journey began in Chillocothe, Ohio where her parents, Fred and Lucille Waterman (dec’d) welcomed her and her brother Fred (dec’d). The family later moved to Mt. Lebanon, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh where she grew up and developed her love and awe of nature. She enjoyed horse-back riding, exploring nature, and chasing after birds alongside her father who was also into birding. After graduating from Linden Hall Jr College as a Secretary, she moved to Lancaster, PA to work at Armstrong Corp where she met her husband, Arthur Hopkins (dec’d) on a blind tennis date.
Jeanne and Arthur then moved to Edgewater, NJ to a $40/month rental house on a precipitous cliff with quite a few stairs to climb and no heat. But the view of NYC was amazing! While in NJ, she attended Columbia University, obtaining her BS degree. In 1961 she and Arthur bought their home in Cornwall and later celebrated the arrival of their daughter, Christina Krisciunas (Mason, OH), and Glenn Hopkins (Austin, TX).
Jeanne was always a “life-long” learner and in addition to her BS from Columbia, she went on to SUNY New Paltz to earn her Masters in Early Childhood Education, Master of Social Work from Adelphi, a 4-yr Certification in Psychoanalysis, as well as a 2-yr Certificate for Group Psychotherapy. She worked at Orange Cty Mental Health for 10 yrs and had a successful private practice for over 25 years.
She owned her own horse (“Banner”), and always wanted to see the wild horses out West. She decided to make this dream come true by taking a trail-riding adventure in Bighorn Basin, WY where they tracked and chase the wild herds. She kept a variety of animals over the years in Cornwall including many dogs, birds, a raccoon (“Rax”), a goat named Twinkle and even a pig named Wilma. She hiked, loved to bike all over the Cornwall and surrounding areas, played tennis, rode horseback, and went on long walks. She was a beloved member of the “V-8”, a group of local women who would meet once/year for a weekend of fellowship, laughter, and fun for 30 yrs.
She expanded her birding skills and joined fellow members of the Waterman and Mearns Bird Clubs on numerous weekends-travelling locally and across the country in search of birds. This passion inspired her watercolor paintings. To receive a note or letter from Jeanne also meant receiving a delightful water color appropriate for the occasion. One of her paintings hangs in Cornwall-on-Hudson’s Walden Savings Bank lobby.
From one of her first jobs as a trail cook on a dude ranch in Banff, Alberta Canada, to seeing her last private therapy clients, Jeanne was versatile and focused in her many roles.
Her fiercely independent and unique spirit, her reverence for the natural world, her devotion to her children and grandsons, and her absolute loyalty to her myriad of friends are guiding lights that brighten the path for all.
Arrangements are entrusted to Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc.; to send condolences, please go to www.Quigleybros.com