Jeanette Ostrom Obituary (1934 - 2024)

Jeanette Diane McParland Ostrom was born in 1934 in Seattle, WA to parents Olive Fay and Thomas James McParland. Five years later, her baby sister Lois arrived, and soon after, her grandmother Mae Oliver moved in with the family. For most of Jeanette's childhood, her family lived in Burien, where her dad operated a grocery store for many years. Jeanette graduated from Highline High School. In 1953, Jeanette met Robert (Bob) Emery Ostrom, who would become her husband and life partner for nearly 65 years until Bob passed in 2019. Jeanette attended Central Washington University, where she enjoyed her psychology and philosophy classes the most. By the time she and Bob married in 1955, they were living in Seattle where she worked at Alcoa while Bob pursued his master's degree at University of Washington. They welcomed their first child, a daughter, Debra Louse, in 1956 and shortly thereafter, Bob joined the US Navy. The family moved to Milton, Florida for Bob's pilot training and, by 1960, welcomed son Thomas Warren. Once back in Seattle, their third child, daughter Sonja Gay was born in 1964. Next, they moved to California where they spent the next 14 years , first in Coronado, then in the Bay Area. Jeanette held things together at home with the children during Bob's deployments as a Navy pilot. She was active with NavyRelief assisting military families in need. She also volunteered with the Parent Teacher Association and was a Cub Scout leader. Jeanette was a vociferous reader and loved playing bridge. While in California, the family lived close to both Bob's sister and brother and their families. Many happy memories were made during holiday celebrations with extended family. In 1974 the family made a big move to Pensacola, Florida followed by a shorter tour of duty in Maryland before Bob retired as a Navy pilot in 1978. At this time, Jeanette and Bob built the house of their dreams next to Jeanette's parents in Sultan, WA, on the Skykomish River. In Sultan, they were able to put down roots and become more engaged in civic activities. Jeanette worked at the Volunteers of America and became active in the community on many fronts. In particular, she was a founding member of the Sultan Schools Foundation and also took great pride in the projects of the Parks and Recreation Planning Committee, on which she severed for several years. Jeanette was known by her family and friends as energetic, smart, good-humored and very loving. She was a worrier who needed to know when everyone arrived home safely and always needed reassurance that her grandchildren were getting enough to eat. She could be sarcastic, wickedly funny, and express well-thought and strong opinions on a variety of topics. In later life, she became very interested in social issues and the stock market, making her an active consumer of news on a daily basis. She led a book group for years and had fun participating in an investment committee. She loved her family fiercely and spent much time hosting her children and grandchildren at the house in Sultan. In addition, she devoted much of her time to assisting each of her kids as they became parents, which gave her a very close bond with each of her grandchildren (Robert, Andrew, Kaitlyn, Johanna, Mykaila, Linnea, and Alex). In addition to her three children, Debra, Thomas and Sonja, Jeanette leaves behind their spouses Kenneth Morrell, Kathleen Geraghty, and David Steves. She is also survived by her sister, Lois, her seven grandchildren, their spouses, five great grandchildren (Edith, Sydney, Robert, Olive, and Zora) and many nieces and nephews. She is deeply loved by all of her family and will be dearly missed.