Obituary of Jean Douglas

Jean Jeannette Douglas
November 18, 1932 – June 20, 2022

Jean Douglas, daughter, wife, Mom, granny, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully, on June 20, 2022. She was 89. She is survived by her daughters, Dottie Blackwell of Nampa; Jennifer Sowers (Jon) of McMinnville, Tennessee; Sue Hill (Jason) of Emmett; her son-in-law, Jim of Pembroke, Texas and numerous grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Cathy; her son-in-law David. 

Jean was born in Parma, Idaho the youngest daughter of ten children born to Rose and Guy Douglas on November 18, 1932.

Jean grew up in the Parma area with her dear lifelong friends Kimi Takatori, Kathleen Martin, Donna Johnson and Evelyn Young. She graduated from Gem State Academy in 1950.  She attended Pacific Union College and the College of Idaho. She enlisted in the Navy and did her training at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland. She was stationed in Oahu, Hawaii where she met her future husband, Jim Burdiss. They were married on July 18, 1954 in Yuma, Arizona. They had four daughters during their marriage – Dottie Blackwell (David), Cathy Browning (Jim), Jennifer Sowers (Jon) and Sue Hill (Jason).

Jean graduated from Boise State College in 1975 with a degree in Education. Raising her daughters was Jean’s top priority.

Mom checked off the following from her bucket list:

Hot Air Balloon Ride with her daughter, Jenny.  November 1, 1997 flew the Concorde to London and Berlin with Cathy and Jim. 

She loved her family fiercely.   Time spent with grandchildren was cherished and extremely rewarding. 

Family and friends can attest to the fact Jean was fun to be around.  

Jean composed music and wrote poetry. This is one of our favorites:

When you hear the bells of Christmas                                                              

Ringing out to all good wishes                                                                       

Snowflakes falling in the air

Children’s laughter without care.

‘Tis the season for forgiving       

Right the wrong and mend misgivings           

It is the season of good cheer                                                                               

It’s Merry Christmas, dear.

Jean’s final message to those she left behind would be to live life to the fullest, fulfill your dreams, cherish moments with family and friends. Hug your family a little tighter each day, tell them you love them often. Love your country, enjoy the little things in life, be charitable and don't worry about the small stuff. Most important would be to spend time with Jesus and pray for others.

There will be a Military Service at 10100 N Horseshoe Bend Rd in Boise on Friday, August 12 at 10:00 a.m.   A Memorial Service will take place at the Parma SDA Church on Saturday, August 13 at 1:00 p.m. – directly after the morning church service, reception with meal will follow.

A special thank you goes to Apple Valley Residence in Emmett for loving our Mom and taking such good care of her. Thank you to Heart ‘n Home so much for being there for our Mom for the final months of her life.

Donations can be made in Jean’s honor to Gem State Academy.   https://www.gemstate.org/

Arrangements are in the care of Summers Funeral Home. https://summersfuneral.com/