Jean Marie (Johannsen) Skrdlant was born August 4, 1950, at the Rice County District Hospital in Lyons, Kansas. Jean passed away at her home April 15, 2021.
Jean grew up on her parent’s farm south of Little River, Kansas. She attended a two-room country school through eighth grade. She then attended and graduated from Little River High School, Hutchinson Community College, and Emporia State University, with a degree in elementary education.
In 1972, Jean moved to Norton, Kansas where she was employed as a fifth grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary. She kept this position for twenty-five years, retiring in 1999.
In 1975, Jean met and married Roy Skrdlant of Norton, Kansas. To this union, a daughter, Amy Elizabeth, was born in 1977. After their marriage, Roy and Jean lived in Norton. They moved to their home south of town in 1980 after they completed their house that they designed and built themselves.
Jean was a member and past chapter president of Delta Kappa Gamma (an honor society in the teaching field), a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Norton Community Fund, American Cancer Society, and served on several committees at Eisenhower such as Professional Development Council, School Improvement Team, Eisenhower Team, and National Geographic Geography Bee.
Jean’s hobbies included needlepoint, counted cross-stitch, and playing the piano before she suffered a stroke in January of 1998. Part of her rehabilitation from the stroke was to organize all of her friends and family’s birthdays and anniversaries, and send them cards. She still did that clear up to the end. She enjoyed her family, friends, reading, traveling, and working on the computer.
Jean is survived by her husband Roy of the home, daughter Amy and husband Brett Adams of Shawnee, Kansas, two sisters: Mary Traveny of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, and Shirley Johannsen of Topeka, Kansas, two sister in-laws: Pat Johannsen of Little River, Kansas, and Judy Johannsen of Concordia, Kansas, two grandchildren: Caiden Adams and Rylee Adams, several nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and many friends.
She was preceded in death by her father John Johannsen, her mother Helen (Burke) Johannsen, four brothers: Robert, Edward, Richard, John (Larry), and one sister: Mildred.
Memorial services conducted by the family will be held at 11:00 am Friday April 30, 2021 at the Christian Church in Norton. Donation to memorials in lieu of flowers would be appreciated. Memorials in her name may be made to the Norton Public Library and Hospice.