Jean E. (Carlton) Klein

Durham, NH - If you knew and loved Jean Klein, chances are you spent more than a few hours over the years on the porch or in the living room chatting with a cup of tea or a G&T, with a plate of cheese and crackers or homemade pie and cookies. The consummate hostess, Jean could make dinner for two stretch to feed four or six when company dropped in. She loved to hear about your day, where you’d been, and who’s getting married. There were always fresh sheets on the beds and room at the Inn for anyone who wanted to stay.

Over their 53 years in Durham, Jean and Len were a fixture of the neighborhood, often outside tending their beautiful gardens and could tell you who had lived in every house for the last 50+ years. They were loved by their neighbors - rocking babies, watching those babies grow up and get married. Their house was the kind of place where you were always welcome whether it was 9 pm and you needed a popcorn fix or were popping in for wine time at 5 pm.

Jean, “the baby whisperer,” welcomed children with a bowlful of M&Ms and a suitcase full of matchbox cars. She loved to hear every new word they learned or new skill they could do. Jean never met a child she didn’t like or who wasn’t “so cute.”

Often while you were visiting, you’d be joined by a friend or former pastor from church. Jean and Len were longtime members (53 years) of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and cherished their church friends. Jean volunteered for many years at soup kitchens, serving the homeless, teaching folks how to stretch leftover mashed potatoes into potato pancakes by adding a little chopped onion and a beaten egg. Over the years they supported church families with Christmas gifts, homemade pies for fundraisers, and donated to replace the fading marquis sign. In the years following Len’s passing, Jean’s church family supported her by visiting regularly and sharing meals together.

Before Jean arrived in Durham she raised her family in Queensbury, N.Y., and Hamilton Square, N.J., while Len worked at GE. She volunteered at the local hospital and knitted baby sweaters for hospital fundraisers. She knew a little bit about a lot of medicine and always knew the cure to what ailed you. Her family often joked that she would be a doctor in her next life.

As a girl, Jean Carlton grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York with four brothers and six sisters, eating pickles on the porch with a pet crow. Following her mom’s passing when Jean was just 14, she and sister Tiny took care of her dad as the women of the house. She actually did walk miles in the snow to a one-room schoolhouse, trading her meat sandwiches for mustard and mayo sandwiches with friends along the way. She skipped ahead several grades because she was so smart. At the end of her schooling, a teacher encouraged her to head to Albany. She worked as a switchboard operator for the telephone company, living in a hotel full of young women conveniently located near a hotel full of young men working on test trains for Worthington Pump. There, Jean met Len in 1946 and after a 6-week courtship they were married, and the rest is history.

Together they raised four children - Rich, Carol, Bill and Jeff who passed away at age 12 due to complications from a heart defect. Jean kept his memory alive over the years by telling stories about his adventures with his bedside teachers and his love of cars.

When Jean got to Heaven she was welcomed by sons Jeff and Rich, husband Len, all of her brothers and sisters, her parents, Len’s family and many of her best friends. Here on Earth, she is still loved by daughter Carol who spent the last several years living with her, so she never had to leave home. She is also loved by son Bill and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter-in-law Joan, Carol’s partner Steve Jenner and extended family which includes five grandchildren: Jennifer West, Donna Williamson, Megan Klein, Jeffrey Klein, and Matthew Klein; seven greatgrandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren from Maine to Texas and many states in between. She is also cherished by numerous nieces and nephews and their families. She made every one of them feel special.

The family would like to thank all who loved Jean throughout her 96 years and shared stories, laughs, cups of tea and adventures. There will be a Memorial Service honoring her life on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 2pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 22 Fox Run Rd., Newington, NH.

A Graveside Service will take place on Monday, August 4 at 3:30 pm at Evergreen Cemetery, 168 Cemetery Road, Salem, NY. A reception will follow at 4 pm at Salem Volunteer Fire Department, 53 South Main Street, Salem, NY.

In lieu of flowers, Jean would have appreciated a donation to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 22 Fox Run Rd., Newington, NH 03801 https://www.htelc.com/giving

In her memory, please send a handwritten note to someone you love or pick up the phone to call a friend.

If you’d like, please email your memories and stories about Jean (and Len) to gramandspanky@gmail.com where they will be included in a book of remembrances.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jean E. (Carlton) Klein, please visit our floral store.