Jean Thurston Liebert

Jean Thurston Liebert, 95, of Corvallis died Dec. 4, 2013. She was born in Delta, Utah, to Mayor John Thurston and his wife, Berta Thurston, joining brother Ward. After her father’s death and mother’s remarriage, the family moved to Southern California. There, while playing in the apricot orchards of Hemet, Jean was exposed to migrant workers and real poverty for the first time — events that shaped her life. Her determination to help the disadvantaged led her to the University of California, Los Angeles (Bachelor of Arts), California State University, Northridge (Master of Arts) and a career in teaching, first in El Monte, Calif., and then in Lancaster, Calif., where she organized the Lancaster Teachers Union and was its first president. During this time, she married Cloyd (Joe) Liebert; had four children, Don, Carol, Joan and Bill; built and operated a restaurant with Joe; and cared for her father-in-law. Her lifelong serial caretaking was given without reservation — from elderly relatives to neighbor children needing help with homework. When Joe died in 1968, Jean retired from teaching, moved to the San Fernando Valley and began a second career at H&R Block. In San Fernando, she found friends, relatives and neighbors in need of nurturing, and she realized their stories needed to be told: first fictionalized in a novel, then in short stories and later through enough poems to fill four books. Jean’s poetry ranged from clever limericks for friends to serious work, much of which was published by newversenews.com, an online progressive poetry site. Several of these pieces referenced her role models, Thomas Edison and César Chávez. Jean’s love of learning never ended. In her 80s she embraced technology, sending numerous emails to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggesting improvements to their patents that could reduce injuries in older adults. At 93, she preferred the ease of typing her work on an iPad and sending it to her e-printer. At 94, she began a series of poems detailing life in an assisted living facility, titled “Over the Hill and Tucked Away: Letters from the Inside.” The first, “Unshed Tears,” was published Sept. 14, 2013, by newversenews .com. Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Joe; son, Don; daughter, Joan; brother, Ward; favorite cousin, Vey; and many others who have waited so long to welcome her. She leaves a son, Bill Liebert of Broken Arrow, Okla.; daughter, Carol “Ange” and husband Hersh Crawford of Corvallis; daughter-in-law, Robin Liebert of Lafayette, Colo.; eight grandchildren; and 10 great-grands. Jean regularly supported nonprofit agencies offering a helping hand to those in need. Donations to her favorite local nonprofits would please her: Senior Dog Rescue of Oregon, P.O. Box 1051, Philomath, OR 97370; or the Jackson Street Youth Shelter, P.O. Box 285, Corvallis, OR 97339. Jean requested no service, but would be honored if you “live, laugh, love — and learn something new every day.”

Tributes

Jean Thurston Liebert

November 2, 1918 - December 4, 2013