Jeanne Antonello
Departed April 30, 1971
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Memories of
Jeanne Antonello
by Kathy
Pierce |
Jeanne
was the spunkiest (probably the most popular) girl at
Parkway Junior High School. She was cute, adorable and
fun-loving. Jeanne married her high school sweetheart,
Mike Taylor, right out of high school. They had twins
while I was still away at college. It was earth
shattering for me when I heard Jeanne was dealing with
cancer, I think we were just 19 or 20 years old. We
would be thrilled to meet her kids, I'm sure they are as
great as Jeanne and Mike. I'd like them to know their
mother is often in our thoughts and great memories.
Submitted by Kathy Pierce 6/10/07 |
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Memories of
Jeanne Antonello
by Bonnie Dunn
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I remember Jeanne as a beautiful, fun
loving, unpretentious and very encouraging
individual. She had a gentle, genuine way
that drew people to her. She encouraged
friends to strive a little higher, and
enjoyed sharing in the joy of their
success. An unusual trait to have at such a
young age. After her death, her youngest
brother Billy shared with me that the family
always knew Jeanne would not live much
longer than young adulthood. I miss her.
I'm saddened to see that her husband Mike
Taylor also died.
Submitted by Bonnie Dunn 6/20/07 |
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Memories of
Jeanne Antonello
by Leila
Kane
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Jeanne influenced
my life in so many ways, from naming my
first-born after her (my daughter, Jeanne,
now 33! ), to my first career (Nursing) to
later work with people facing end of life
issues. I hope you can bear with the length
and details. I just feel as though Jeanne
lived so much in such a short time.
"Talking" about her feels right, even to the
point of sharing some of the special final
months of her life with her old buddies from
Stranahan. Thanks! Leila
Starting way back at
Parkway, as Kathy said, Jeanne was the most
popular girl in school, and, even more
telling, she deserved the title! She had a
great laugh, was exceptionally poised, and
was kind and helpful to those of us not yet
as pulled together as she was (including
me!). Jeanne was my mentor, although at that
point in time I am sure I had never heard of
the idea or the concept. We remained good
friends throughout high school, Juniorette
Sisters, etc.
After Stranahan, I was
off to Georgia for school and Jeanne married
Mike Taylor, who had just joined the Air
Force. They were stationed in California at
the same base where I would later serve as
an Air Force Nurse. As a matter of fact,
their twins were born at the Air Force
Hospital where I later worked as an
OB/Neonatal Nurse. We corresponded
throughout Jeanne's pregnancy and my
obsession with OB Nursing was definitely
influenced by Jeanne's joyous celebration of
the new lives she was nurturing. It was,
unfortunately, during this same timeframe
that Jeanne's previously diagnosed cancer
returned with a vengeance. Her girls were
just babies as she renewed her fight.
Dating back to our
carpooling days in high school, Jeanne had
been a favorite of my mother, who also
happened to be a nurse working for a local
internist in Plantation. As Jeanne's medical
battle raged, she was sent to Bethesda
Hospital in MD by the Air Force for advanced
treatment. Since the treatment was
intermittent, and based upon regularly drawn
blood work, Jeanne did not have to be in
residence in MD all the time. In between
treatments she came home to Ft. Lauderdale
with her babies so that her parents could
help her and them. (Mike had to stay in
Bethesda in his AF job). Jeanne re-connected
with my mother and was able to have her
blood drawn by her, skipping the more formal
procedure of having to go to a hospital or
lab to have it done. As her white count
dictated, Jeanne would return to Bethesda
for another round of treatment, and then
back to Lauderdale to get stronger before
doing it all again. Such a courageous young
woman. Pleasant and cheerful throughout it
all!
It was at this point
that I decided to take a leave from my
studies in Atlanta so I could come home and
be of whatever assistance I could to Jeanne
and the Antonello's. God, those little girls
were sooo cute. The perfect blend of Jeanne
and Mike!
So, I came home
thinking I could maybe help with the girls,
but it turned out that what Jeanne really
wanted was to hang out and reminisce, as
well as she could in that time of weakness.
I remember that in a number of successive
days, she had me take her all around
Lauderdale, going by key spots that had
meant so much. The beach. Wolfies. Las Olas
Blvd. Stranahan itself. 10th street! It was
a special time and my great honor to help
her say goodbye, which she was clearly
doing. We shared everything from the
unbelievably profound to the silliest of
stories. It was poignant and deeply moving
for me.
As fate would have it,
and in keeping with life's many ironies, it
was my unexpected presence there in
Lauderdale that enabled me to be with my mom
when she learned of the sudden death of my
older brother, Keith, in a traffic accident.
It was February 1971. On April 30th of that
year, Jeanne was gone as well. NOT EVEN
QUITE 4 YEARS OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL!
All I can say is that
she was an amazing woman with exceptional
grace whose influence continues to this day.
I loved her, and miss her still. I think of
her so very often (hard not to since my
daughter bears her name!) I can still see
her dimpled smile and hear her infectious
laugh. Thanks everyone for reading and
remembering! Leila Kane (Dickey)
Submitted by Leila Kane 7/02/07
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Kathy Haines meets Tammy Taylor, one of Jeanne
Antonello and Mike Taylor's twin daughters. The girls were
two when Jeanne passed away, but her 'bubbly and lovable'
genes live on in these girls.
Submitted 2/10/10
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Kathy and Mike at the Prom |
If you have memories of Jeanne you would
like to share, please contact the webmaster:
graham@stranahan67.com
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