Farewell Jean
Jean Deatrick will be missed by many, including me. She was an amazingly strong woman who never backed down from a challenge. In 2001 this newspaper went through a tough time. We needed volunteers and advertisers and Jean took it upon herself to make sure it stayed afloat.
I will always be grateful for her strength and leadership — without it, we simply would not have the Hill & Lake Press today. Another special thing about Jean is that when you knew her, you also knew her family, and that has been an honor for me.
I was fortunate to be the photographer at the weddings of Heidi, Heather, Katie and Jean — so many good memories to cherish. Her memorial service at Saint Mark’s was a wonderful celebration of a life well-lived. She will certainly be missed.
Dorothy Childers, Bryn Mawr
Good morning, my name is Craig Wilson. I am the new editor of Hill & Lake Press and a friend and former colleague of Jean Deatrick, its former editor.
Shortly before her death, Jean asked that I eulogize her. I am deeply humbled and honored to be part of celebrating her long life of doing good, especially for our Hill & Lake community.
Since 1976, Hill & Lake Press has covered community news and events for the neighborhoods of Cedar-Isles-Dean, East Isles, Kenwood and Lowry Hill — neighborhoods just to the west of here (Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral) that encompass Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. For 21 of the past 46 years, nearly half its lifetime, Jean was our editor.
In February, 2022, Jean asked me to take over the paper as she was struggling with health-related challenges.
Jean left very big shoes to fill; I couldn’t fill them alone and have enjoyed the work of the team of neighbors who have come together to sustain Jean’s legacy.
"Twenty-two years ago, Hill & Lake Press almost folded — but Jean saved it!"
The paper wasn’t making ends meet, and there were many challenges motivating people to manage a volunteer-run newspaper — a newspaper still being laid out with typewriters and glue in an age of rapid digitization. There was also stiff competition from local news sources such as the Southwest Journal, City Pages and many local community papers, like the Wedge, none of which exists today.
The paper’s leadership at that time couldn’t envision a viable path forward. But Jean could see a solution and refused to close. Jean rolled up her sleeves and set to work modernizing Hill & Lake Press.
In 2001, after working all day as the community coordinator here at the cathedral, Jean worked after hours teaching herself a less-than-intuitive design software called “Quark,” which was state-of-the-art at the time.
Jean singlehandedly digitized the publication process on her laptop, while managing the editorial, advertising and layout roles all by herself.
What once was a team effort became the solitary mission of one woman for 21 years and 252 monthly issues. Of course, Jean had the support of family, friends, volunteer contributors, staff photographer Dorothy Childers and business managers like Jane Johnson, her late husband John Gridley and her daughter Heather Deatrick.
But make no mistake: Jean put in the overtime to make the whole operation work reliably for over two decades.
Despite the stress of people missing deadlines and falling through on promised editorial and advertising content, Jean maintained a sweet and sunny disposition, always reinforcing how much she appreciated people and their contribution to the community month after month, year after year.
We all benefited from Jean’s work with the press and we will continue to benefit from it as her legacy.
As I considered what I wanted to say about Jean, I realized that the most intrinsic aspect of Jean was not that she sustained and grew the paper but why. Hill & Lake Press was Jean’s expression of love for everyone and yes, everything in our community.
I have many memories of Jean. I am very fond of one in particular. I believe this was at a campaign party for former Park Board Commissioner Anita Tabb (and we know Jean loved parties!)
I was in a mood that day and felt a little disconnected. Jean was sitting on a window seat, stunning as always. Her eyes were twinkling, and she was wearing a glittery sweater. She waved me over. She made me feel so wanted, so welcomed and that it was important to her to see me. She made my day. I know that many of you had similar experiences with Jean.
She made each of us feel we were part of a special club. The thing with Jean is that she welcomed everyone to join.
Jean approached every opportunity and challenge with optimism and open-mindedness. Even when faced with criticism and conflict, Jean took the high road and would seek the vantage point of others, offering empathy.
She also had a terrific sense of humor that she would employ when dealing with particularly difficult personalities. She masterfully put people in their place while maintaining the kindness that only a full-blooded Norwegian could pull off.
"I think Jean lifted me and so many others up because she really had an ineffable lightness."
She maintained a childlike joy that was never dampened by her equally strong and profound insight into humanity.
Hill & Lake Board Member and Co-Founder Susan Lenfestey remarked, “She was definitely a star in the galaxy. We are all crushed at the loss of Jean, a pillar of our neighborhood for so long.”
Other current Hill & Lake Press board members shared:
“Jean made a difference and will long be remembered.”— Mike Erlandson
“May her memories be a blessing to her family and to all of us who had the good fortune to know and to be impacted by her.”— Barb Davis
“She made such a big difference in our community. She did so much on her own without anyone propping her up.”— Chas Scheiderer
“We are all here because Jean persevered. May she rest in peace.”— Win Rockwell
Thank you, Jean, for all you gave us. In the end, you won the race of the last local newspaper standing. However, it was your kindness, love of life and of us that is your most treasured legacy.
Tribute From England
I was so saddened to hear about Jean Deatrick passing away quite suddenly last month. She was such a wonderful friend to me for more years than I can remember; as business manager it was such a pleasure to be able to work with someone to whom I was so close and whom I admired and loved so much, all thanks to the Hill & Lake Press. We were in regular contact with each other, either in person or over the phone, and boy did we have some laughs! Jean was such a capable, cheerful, kind person and she is the first really close friend that I have lost.
It was very sad to have to leave her behind when I moved to England, and I think she felt the same about me. We used to keep in constant contact by phone and I was just thrilled when she actually came to visit us in our new house and we spent several happy days together. As we all know Jean single-handedly saved the Hill & Lake Press from extinction, and it was only because of Jean and knowing what a capable lovely person she was that I came on board also….and thankfully Dorothy Childers didn't abandon the sinking ship either. I think we made a good team — we certainly had fun!
I remember how thrilled she was when she heard that Craig was taking over. I am so glad she was able to see what a fine job he is doing with the paper, and I think it is a great testament to her that the paper is still flourishing under his very able and innovative guidance.
My heart goes out to her lovely family, who I was fortunate to know. She adored every one of them and was the ultimate brilliant, loving and completely nonjudgmental mother and grandmother. I know how much Eldon and all her children and grandchildren must be missing her, but she will always be in our hearts. I will never forget Jean Deatrick and what a great human being and example she was to me.
