Jeanne Marie Snow

Jeanne Marie (Kylen) Snow, age 81, of Traverse City, MI, formerly of DeKalb, IL, passed away on Friday, December 17, 2021. Jeanne was born on August 11, 1940 in Oak Park, IL to Eugene R. Kylen and Geraldine R. Marshall. Following generations of her Kylen family relatives, Jeanne attended preschool through her university years in DeKalb, graduating with a Master’s in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and then became a certified fundraising executive, a certification she maintained for thirty years. Jeanne had a passion for education and helping others directly and through fundraising for charitable organizations. An early example of her passion to help others was in high school when she helped polio victims enjoy time in the swimming pool and she also taught swimming lessons. Swimming and water safety became a lifelong passion. During Jeanne’s professional career, she began by helping the elderly get important services through her work at the Area Agency on Aging in the far western suburbs of Chicago. She developed an interest in fundraising following her volunteer efforts with Hands Across American, a single day event that took place on Sunday, May 25, 1986, when regular Americans and celebrities joined hands to form a link across the nation in an effort to raise money and awareness for hunger and homelessness charities. Her fundraising career began when she went to work for the University of Illinois Foundation as a Director of Development, working with alumni from San Francisco, Washington DC, and Metro Chicago to raise money for the university’s foundation. A major capital campaign then took Jeanne to Purdue University where she worked as Director of Major Gifts for the Purdue Foundation’s Century 21 Campaign along with campaign co-chairs and alumni, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan. Following the completion of the Purdue capital campaign she worked as Assistant Dean of Development for the Chicago - Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology. In 1996, Jeanne remarried and moved to Traverse City, MI and accepted a position as the second director, and first full-time Executive Director of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. During her thirteen years in this position, the foundation became the largest grant maker in Northern Michigan, received its largest individual donor gift, and developed the largest youth grant making program. Throughout her career, Jeanne was an active member of Rotary International, a service organization whose motto, “service above self” aligned with her values. She was a member of the Chicago Rotary One Club and the Rotary Club in Traverse City. While in Chicago, Jeanne enjoyed serving on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Women’s Association and on its board of directors. When she moved to Traverse City, she attended and supported the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. Jeanne competed in the Masters Swim program from age 30 to 77. During her retirement years she took great pleasure in participating in the Bubbling Babes book club and the Traverse City Yacht Club activities where she made many wonderful new friends who became a constant source of joy for her until the end of her life. She also enjoyed keeping in touch with lifelong friends from DeKalb. One of Jeanne’s highest priorities was her family. Besides spending time and vacations with them, she wrote a book about her ancestry and had copies made for all family members. She will be remembered for her curiosity, ingenuity, creative problem-solving abilities, industriousness, and perseverance. Jeanne touched so many lives with her generosity and passion for helping others. Jeanne is preceded in death by her parents Eugene R. Kylen and Geraldine R. Marshall, and her younger brother, David. She is survived by her husband, John, her son, William (Susan), grandchildren Alexander and Jorie, daughter, Jennifer (John) Faivre, step-grandchildren Claire, Ezri, Ian, and Noah, son David (Dayna), and grandchildren Devon (Jessica), great grandson, Kage, grandson Dillon, grandson Drew (Katianna) and great grandson, named Kylen after Jeanne’s maiden name, born December 16, 2021, the day before Jeanne passed, her sister, Elizabeth (Kylen) Ward, brother-in-law, John Ward, niece Stephanie and nephew Stephan, her brother-in-law, George Snow (Cecil), and niece Alice. Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of life gathering on January 22, 2022 from 3pm - 4:30pm with a memorial service beginning at 4:30pm at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home located at 305 Sixth Street, Traverse City, MI 49684. Please visit RJFH.TV to watch the livestream. To express condolences, visit: www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation 223 Lake Ave. Ste. B, Traverse City, MI 49684 and/or the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA (to support its current building campaign for the construction of a gymnasium) 3700 Silver Lake Road, Traverse City, MI 49684.

Jeanne Marie Snow

August 11, 1940 - December 17, 2021