February 3, 1957 - March 21, 2023 A funeral service will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Bethany Reformed Church, 1833 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo. Friends may call on the family one hour prior to the service at the church beginning at 1:00 p.m. Jeanne will be laid to rest by her father in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Kalamazoo. Memorial contributions may be given to Residential Opportunities Inc. (ROI), Bethany Reformed Church, or the charity of one’s choice for people with disabilities, in c/o the funeral home. |
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Age 66, passed away March 21, 2023, after sustaining injuries in a severe fall. Jeanne was born in Kalamazoo on February 3, 1957, the daughter of Ronald and Frances (Lockwood) Hoard. Jeanne was a gymnast in the Special Olympics and had the privilege of representing Area 16 in the National Special Olympics in Brockport, NY, where she won First and Third Place Medals and got to meet Mohammad Ali. Her athletic ability was also shown in her ability to cross country ski with the Special Olympics and with her family. She loved riding horses and leading her sister’s horse at the Cheff Center. Jeanne also loved music and liked hearing the pipe organ at church and playing in a chime choir with Special Arts. She was in the drumming and art works at MRC. In this group she got to meet Patrick Kennedy, who was a speaker at an event at which they played, and he gave her a coin that had been minted that day at the U.S. Mint. Jeanne is survived by her mother, Frances Hoard of Kalamazoo; sister, Nancy Ann Hoard; several loving cousins and their spouses; many friends including her housemates at Hoard Manor; and several other Special Olympians. Jeanne was preceded in death by her father on January 24, 2023. |