Obituary of Jeanette Gilliam McCauley

<b>Lexington, Kentucky</b> Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, age 95, of Lexington, KY, passed away on September 2, 2014, in the Hospice Unit of St. Joseph's Hospital surrounded by her loving family, just 13 days shy of her 96th birthday. She was born on Sunday, September 15, 1918, at the home of her parents, the late Bruner and Leona Johnson Gilliam, in Cumberland, Kentucky. Jeanette married Joseph Lee McCauley of Greenville, Kentucky, whom she met in 1936, while attending Union College in Barbourville, KY, where she majored in Business. Joe and Jeanette were married for 47 years until his death in 1985. Five children were born to this union: Dr. Joseph Lee McCauley, Jr. (Cornelia Kuffner), Houston, Texas and Erwald, Austria; Jeanette "Sissy" Cawood (Steve) Pineville, KY; Mary Kathryn "Kaye" McCauley, Lexington, KY.; William Bruner McCauley, (Kelly), Knoxville, TN.; and John Warren McCauley (Rebecca), Lexington, KY, with whom she lived for two and a half years. In addition to her husband and parents, her brothers, Warren Gilliam, Killeen, TX and Paul Gilliam, Chicago, IL, predeceased her as well as her oldest grandchild, Christina Slusher McCauley, Houston, TX. Jeanette is survived by 12 grandchildren who lovingly called her "MuMu" : Elizabeth Cawood Overman (Bill), Lexington, KY; Eleanor Elizabeth McCauley, Mill Valley, CA; Katherine Olivia McCauley, Houston, TX; Melissa Cline Givens, Dunedin, FL; Mandy Cawood Hickey (JD), Lookout Mt., TN; Becky Cline Ascione (Adam), Brooklyn, NY; Elizabeth Cline Sweeney (Andrew), NYC; Mari Anjeanette McCauley Vargus, Houston, TX; Joseph McCauley, Knoxville, TN; Rachel McCauley, Knoxville, TN; Hans Kuffner-McCauley, Vienna, Austria; Finn Kuffner-McCauley, Houston, TX. She was blessed with 16 great-grandchildren: Ryan Alexander, Jordan Perry and Logan Patrick Givens, of Dunedin, FL.. Josson Belluschi, Mill Valley, CA, Charlie and Caroline Cawood Overman, Lexington; Will McCauley, Justin Marcus, Kayleigh Wallace, and Charlie Vargus, Houston, TX; Rhiannon and Ryder Sweeney, NYC; Henry and James Cawood Hickey, Lookout Mt., TN; and Dominic Ascione, Brooklyn, NY.. She also leaves her beloved sisters-in-law: Doris Gilliam, Killeen, TX; Mary Gilliam, Chicago, IL; Jimmie McCauley Knight, Greenville, KY; Faye McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Special nieces: Shirley Gilliam Buckley, Susie Gilliam Sommerfield, and Linda McCauley with whom she shared a love of genealogy. Dear friends: Mim Martin and Elsie Townsend of Frankfort. Jeanette and Joe moved to Middlesboro in 1947, following Joe's service in the US Navy during World War II. They were business owners and worked side by side. Jeanette was active in Beta Sigma Phi sorority where she served in several capacities, including President. She also chaired the American Heart Association annual fund drive in Middlesboro and due to her outstanding results was named to the Kentucky Board of the American Heart Association, later serving as a delegate to the National Board in NYC. Jeanette was an active member of the community enjoying golf, canasta parties and her church, Trinity United Methodist. Swimming, water skiing and boating on Norris Lake, TN., where she made the best tuna salad sandwiches ever were some of the happiest years of her life. Upon leaving Middlesboro in 1966 to move to Pikeville, KY., Jeanette became a bookkeeper at the Pikeville United Methodist Hospital. From this position, she served as City Treasurer and Tax Administrator in the City of Prestonsburg. She was honored for her excellence in these roles. Her membership in the Business and Professional Women's Club led to her service as President. She believed in the role of women in the workplace and was proud to have been named for Jeannette Rankin of Minnesota who became the first Congress woman in the United States. When Jeanette moved to Frankfort in 1992 at age 74 to be closer to family, she joined the First United Methodist Church where she was an active member of the Seniors' group and volunteered in the Soup Kitchen weekly. She especially enjoyed the trips with the seniors and playing board games. Spending time with John and Becky during her years in Frankfort as well as accompanying them on travels were among her great joys. Morning Pointe East in Lexington became Jeanette's home for her last year, and she made it a memorable one. Being the first resident delighted her and she enjoyed giving tours of the facility as well as working with her sweet friend, Sarah Rowe, to found the Residents organization and the Walking Club. Her teapot collection was enjoyed by many who visited her bright room. A special joy was watching the birds outside her courtyard window that came to the bird feeder provided by her grandsons, Hans and Finn. The goldfinches that perched there recently were a great delight to her. She made many dear friends at Morning Pointe including Sue Cox, Laura Hamilton and Ruth Keller. Her special caregivers were Shea, Kayla, Jessica, Teresa and Whitney. For her grandchildren and older great-grandchildren, going to MuMu's house meant the world's best chicken and dumplings,, banana pudding and her delicious peach cobbler all engulfed in a cozy sea of pink, her favorite color. Many of them played their first board games with MuMu where they learned first hand about her competitive spirit. Since 1985, Jeanette's favorite vacation spot was Pawleys Island, SC where she bounded out of the bed early each morning to find the prettiest shells on the beach. Kelly enjoyed walking on the beach with her searching for the largest shark tooth. Her green thumb was evident in her yard that she transformed into a lovely garden, a hobby she shared with Cornelia. Mother passed on her skill at quiliting that she had learned from her Mother to her daughter Kaye and her daughters, a legacy for generations to come. Joe remarked that "Mother knew how to remain calm and serene despite the circumstances, an example for all of us." She loved visits from Bill who made her laugh and enjoy life. He was always her "happy place". Jeanette was a beautiful, intelligent woman with bright aqua blue eyes, an avid reader and a student of KY history. An extraordinary task she undertook after retirement and well into her later years was the compilation and writing of the history of her Gilliam pioneer heritage. She spent countless hours researching her family at the KY History Museum in Frankfort and was proud of the leaf she sponsored on the genealogy tree in the foyer of the museum in honor of her ancestors. She presented her research at a seminar at the Benham, KY, Coal Mining Museum. When staying in Pineville with Sissy and Steve, bird watching from their porch and discussing Kentucky Appalachian history and literature were her favorite activities as well as returning to her beloved Appalachian mountains. As a child, she hiked to the top of Black Mounta with her father and brothers and recounted that looking into Virginia from the top of "Big Black" with its fog-laced valleys was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. Her family will remember her love of reading, her enjoyment of travel, her wickedly competitive board games (that she often won much to her delight), her compassion for others and a lifelong love of learning. The family of Jeanette Gilliam McCauley honor their beloved Mother's incredible life and her indomitable spirit that spanned nearly a century and lives on in their hearts. <b>Funeral Information</b> Visitation will be from 4-7pm, Thursday, September 4, 2014 at Clark Legacy Center, Brannon Crossing. Funeral service will be held at 9:30am, Friday, September 5, 2014 at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in <b>Lexington, Kentucky</b>. Burial will follow at John Gilliam Cemetery in Cumberland, Kentucky.