Jean Clark Singer's Obituary
Jean Clark Singer
July 9, 1944 - May 27, 2021
Jean Singer, 76, of Clearwater, died on May 27, 2021, after a brief illness. Born in Brownwood, Texas, Jean grew up in Mansfield, Ohio and moved to Belleair with her parents in 1979. Jean was the daughter of Robert W. and Mary S. Singer, who predeceased her. Her brother, Robert W. Singer, III and brother-in-law Steven Kaylor, also predeceased her.
She leaves behind her sister, Nancy Singer Kaylor and her nephew, The Hon. Sherwood S. “Flip” Coleman (Jen) and beloved great-nieces Madeline and Ellen Coleman, all of Clearwater.
Jean is also survived by her cousins, Ellen LaBarbera, Pasadena, CA, Mitchell Samson, Los Angeles, and John Samson, Fayettesville, GA.
Born with cerebral palsy, everything in Jean’s life was a challenge; she spent her life exceeding expectations. Her parents ignored the medical wisdom of the 1940s and refused to institutionalize their daughter or believe predictions of a very short life. When told Jean might never walk, they undertook an intensive physical therapy program and Jean walked by age four. Although her gait wasn’t perfect and was often painful, she kept on walking until she was 72.
Educators placed Jean in a “special” class for those who were termed “handicapped” in the language of the day. By junior high school, her parents won the battle and she was mainstreamed into the school system before mainstreaming was even a word. She was a 1964 graduate of Lexington (Ohio) High School. After graduation she proudly earned a paycheck at a variety of sheltered workshops before moving to Florida in 1979. She then attended the Goodwill-Suncoast Life Enrichment Program learning independent living and job skills and was honored in 1984 as Graduate of the Year. She served as a teacher’s aide for Pinellas County Schools.
Her favorite job was a nearly 15-year career as a hostess for the Belleair McDonald’s and the Pinellas Trail McDonald’s. Jean loved helping with birthday parties and greeting so many familiar faces over the years. Before retiring, she rarely missed more than one day of work each year.
Jean always found joy in the small things in her life. She was a sports fan who closely followed the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Tampa Bay Rays. Jean loved swimming, winning first place ribbons in the Special Olympics in Pinellas County and District events.
The family owes special thanks to Kelly Carson, whose expertise kept Jean on her feet for longer than anyone thought possible. For some 20 years, Jean looked forward to therapy sessions with her best friend Kelly every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks also go to her special care managers who made Jean's life so much easier. Over two decades, Aging Wisely care managers Jan Watrous, Juliet Lewis and Beth Harvard were always there for Jean and for her family.
A gathering to remember Jean is being planned. A committal service at Oakwood Cemetery in Berlin, WI, will be held at a later date.
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