Jean Carol Knowles

STOW - Jean Carol Knowles, 82, of Stow, Ohio, passed away on December 26, 2023.

Jean was born November 22, 1941, in Dunkirk, New York, and graduated from Dunkirk High School and Allegheny College before becoming a schoolteacher. Jean met her husband, Glenn, on a blind date in Lakewood, Ohio. They married and had three daughters before leaving Ohio to raise their family in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey. In Mountain Lakes, Jean was very active in the community as a member of the Junior League, the League of Women Voters, and she also became a real estate agent. She was very involved in all the girls’ school activities, especially swimming, where she was a tireless timer and scorekeeper year-round. Jean and Glenn were co-chairs of the St. Clare’s Harvest Festival, a large fundraising effort for St Clare’s Hospital in Denville, New Jersey.

Jean and Glenn retired to Aiken, South Carolina, but remained very active for the 18 years she lived there. She was a member of the Women of Woodside and became an ardent polo fan, attending matches several times a week in season. Jean loved to play bridge and mahjong and developed a very close-knit group of friends. She also attended classes through the Center for Lifelong Learning at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. Jean loved the symphony and would relay fantastic details about the plays she attended at the Aiken Community Theatre. Almost three years ago, she returned to Ohio to be closer to family. Jean continued to play bridge, work on jigsaw puzzles, and read.

She was very funny and was known for her “wicked” sense of humor. Jean was a planner but also ended up at the grocery store almost every day. She created a home for her family wherever she lived and made sure her daughters knew they were loved. The family vacationed as often as possible at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, where Jean would be seen reading novels on the beach, eating freshly caught shrimp and catching up with friends old and new. She was a great cook and many of her recipes and holiday traditions will live on through her extended family.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents; Charles and Dorothea Apthorp, and her husband of 54 years, Glenn Knowles. She is survived by her sister, Sally Braun; daughters, Laura (Scott) Fales, Karen (Richard) Terrell, and Janet (Gerold) Groborchik; grandchildren, Kaitlyn (Josh) George, Chad (Lana) Fultz, Grace (Raffy) Groborchik, and Eli Groborchik; great-grandchildren Payton Riley and Oliver Glenn George.

Laura, Karen, and Janet plan to have a private ceremony at a later date to honor their mother.