It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jean Blandford Schlesinger, age 94, who died peacefully in her beloved town of Wilton on Friday, Mar. 7.
Jean was born in Fall River, MA, as the second daughter to parents Gertrude Blandford and Rev. David Robert Bailey. Both of Jean’s parents had strong roots in Newfoundland, Canada. Jean’s mother was from a family of shipping merchants and her father from a long lineage in the ministry — both sides originally from England. They frequently returned to the small fishing town of Twillingate to visit relatives on both sides of the family.
Jean’s early years were spent living in the family’s Fall River church rectory before her father was assigned to a church in upstate New York and later to Brooklyn. In 1952, on a church outing with her father’s outreach program at Lake Candlewood in Western CT, Jean met her future husband and local resident, Eugene R. Schlesinger. Their connection was instant, and Jean and Gene were married shortly thereafter. Together, in the late 1950s, they bought property and built a home in Wilton, where they raised their two children and spent many happy years building a life full of love, laughter and adventure.
Jean was immensely proud of her training at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing (Class of 1952). Nursing was the career of her favorite aunt and many in the Blandford family who helped Jean along in her pursuit. She worked for several decades as a registered nurse in a variety of industries. Many of these years were spent in corporate nursing in and around Stamford, including the Stamford Bloomingdale’s, Union Carbide, General Electric and General Telephone and Electronics Corporation (GTE), which later became Verizon Communications. She also had a stint as a school nurse at Wilton High School, the school from which both of her children graduated.
Jean and Gene were always very active. They enjoyed skiing, hiking and swimming in their backyard pool, and later in life became avid bikers. They belonged to several bike groups and traveled far and wide on their biking adventures, from Canada to the Chesapeake Bay. Averaging no less than 25 miles per ride, Jean and Gene enjoyed the beauty of the coastline, each other’s company and making new friends. Their shared passion for biking became a defining part of their retirement years. As the Norwalk River Valley Trail was developed, Jean and Gene hiked many miles, exploring the trails as each section was added.
Jean’s aforementioned commitment to community was evident in her many dedicated years of service towards the book sales effort at Wilton Library. Jean was also active with the Wilton Garden Club, Wilton Woman’s Club, Wilton Encore Club, and in her early days in Wilton, the Wilton Playshop. An avid gardener, Jean also spent many hours cultivating beautiful gardens on their Wilton property.
Jean was a devoted mother, grandmother and aunt. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gene, and leaves behind two children (Lee Schlesinger and Janine Johnson), two grandchildren, and a very dear niece. In her final years, her faithful companion, Cinnamon the cat, was always by her side. Cinnamon is now living out her days with family in Chicago.
Jean’s family invites all those who wish to celebrate her remarkable life to join them at a gathering that will be held in the Brubeck Room at Wilton Library on Friday, May 30, from 3-6 p.m. The family kindly asks that those wishing to express their sympathy consider making a donation to the Wilton Library in memory of Jean.
Reach out via email for more information or to contact the family.