Jeanette K. Hand, 60, of Washington, passed away Sunday at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes. Jean was born July 26, 1956, in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
Her parents were Donald and Marcella Bateman. She has a brother, Frank, of Indianapolis; a sister, Marcia, also of Indianapolis; and a twin sister, Jan, of Vincennes.
She graduated from Indianapolis Northwestern High School in 1974. Jean attended Greenville College where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education in 1978. She later received a master’s degree in elementary education from Indiana State University. In 1978, Jean married Phil Hand. They recently celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary on Dec. 23.
Jean was a lifelong elementary education teacher. She began her career at Washington Catholic Elementary School, where she taught for eight years. Later she taught third grade for 26 years at Barr-Reeve Elementary School. For the past couple of years, she worked at the Lemon Tree in Washington. Jean enjoyed traveling and for 10 years was a member of The Wandering Wheels Coast-to-Coast bicycling organization. She was the head cook. She also enjoyed vacationing to Arizona and Florida. Jean attended Bethany Christian Church. She was a member of the Washington Free Methodist Church, where she was involved in children’s ministries. Her life hobbies included collecting Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch dolls, Boyd Bears, Longaberger baskets, and figurines. She also enjoyed working with plants and flowers. She was an avid fan of Mickey Mouse.
Funeral services will be 2:30 p.m. Friday at Gill Funeral Home. Friends may call Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Bethany Cemetery in Washington. Memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Online condolences may be made at www.gillsince1872.com