Jean V. Borrell, age 74, of Maple Lake, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, May 26, 2024, at Lake Ridge Care Center in Buffalo after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.
She was blessed to be at her home until the last week of her life.
Memorial services to celebrate the life of Jean will be held 1 p.m., Sunday June 2, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Maple Lake with visitation one hour prior to the service. Pastor Culynn Curtis will officiate.
Burial will follow at Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church Cemetery in Albion Township.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Holy Cross Lutheran Church or Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church Cemetery Fund. Jean requested that attendees wear colorful clothing to her celebration.
Jean Verona Berg was born Oct. 11, 1949, in St. Cloud to Victor and Martha (Hill) Berg. She graduated from Annandale High School in 1967, and from St. Cloud State University in 1971. In December of 1980, she married the love of her life and soulmate, David Borrell. They raised their sons, Peter and Paul, in their rural Corinna Township home.
To follow are some of the things Jean loved about her life:
Jean had a happy childhood on her parents’ farm in Albion Township. She spent time taking care of the family dogs and cats. At times 25-30 cats would follow her around the farm! There was one pesky rooster who delighted in chasing her all over. Her favorite cow was Fluffy the Holstein; she patiently stood still for Jean in the barn as a rug was put on her back and Jean climbed on to pretend Fluffy was her horse.
Church events and social activities at her small country church, Mt. Hermon Lutheran, were important for the whole family, sharing their Christian faith and making lifelong friends. Church activities were valued by the whole community, and everyone supported each other.
There were always fun times with Jean’s many cousins, at their homes or on “up north” trips every summer. The family could only stay 3 nights at a lake cabin since that is how long Jean’s dad could have his dairy cows milked by another person. When relatives would gather, Jean and her cousins would have fun with bikes, the rope swing, playing in the pasture and woods, and swimming at Granite Lake.
Church, home, and family always came first with Jean. RV camping when the boys were young was always great as well as David and Jean’s trips to other states with friends and family. Jean and the boys spent many happy hours working and playing in the yard, gardens, and woods – biking, working on tree houses, and helping David with a variety of projects. She loved to keep up with family and friends at reunions and community events.
She loved her career as an early childhood and preschool teacher in Maple Lake Schools. She often said the job was so much fun it was almost like not working!
Four special women, Ann, Jean, Edrie and Mary, “AnJeEdMa”, have been a continuing support group for each other. They met in college and continued their friendship for 55 years. They enjoyed all the fun events in college, in the dorm, cracker parties for study breaks, as well as shopping excursions and concerts. The gals went on many trips together and continued this for yearly reunions. They were all in each other’s weddings, truly lifelong friends and kindred spirits.
As her family and friends know, Jean was an avid gardener, raising vegetables and flowers when the boys were young, and later only flowers. She spent many hours planting, weeding, and watering every summer. Besides her perennial garden she planted many flowerpots on her deck and along the sidewalks, usually 40 to 50 pots! One spring she didn’t keep track of how many annuals she had purchased. After planting all the pots, she still had plants yet to plant. So, she bought more pots and continued planting. That year she ended up with almost 80 flowerpots!
Music was another love of Jean’s. From Sunday school songs at church, high school and church choir, to the beloved Maple Lake Community Theatre productions. Her favorite roles were as Yente, the matchmaker in the “Fiddler on the Roof” production, and as the Queen in “Cinderella.”
In her retirement years, Jean kept busy volunteering for a number of groups. At Holy Cross Lutheran Church she was on the mission team, taught VBS, sang in the choir, read scriptures on Sunday morning, assisted in the church library, and of course, helped with the church gardens. In the Maple Lake community, she was a member of the Ladybug Garden Club, a volunteer at the Maple Lake Library, a member of the Maple Lake Red Hats, the Retired Teachers group, and three book clubs. She was also a loyal customer at the local coffee house.
Jean is survived by her sons, Peter of Maple Lake, and Paul (Lacey) of Memphis; grandchildren, Lexey, Lilly, and Penny; siblings, Dorine (Paul) Johnson of Annandale, and Bruce (Janet) Berg of Alexandria; and countless family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, David, in 2020; and parents, Victor and Martha Berg.
Peter and Paul Borrell, Bruce Berg, and Dorine Johnson will serve as urn bearers.
Arrangements are entrusted to Dingmann Funeral Care Burial and Cremation Services of Maple Lake.
The obituary, guestbook, video tribute, and funeral webcast are online at www.dingmannfuneral.com.