Obituary
JEAN GAY CALL (BRENNON), 81, of Carrboro, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2024. Born on October 22, 1942, in Lowell, Massachusetts to Branford S. Brennon, Sr. and Isobel (Cumming) Brennon, Jean and her younger brothers Branford S. Brennon, Jr. (Bud) and Robert Brennon (Rob) enjoyed summer vacations to Goose Rock Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine, where her parents settled in their retirement. A proud alumna of Colby College class of 1964 in Waterville, Maine, Jean was frequently in contact with her Colby friends until her passing.
Jean married Malcolm L. Call on February 6, 1965, in Lowell, and later moved to western Massachusetts where she taught French for several years before moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Although they divorced in 1982, Jean and Malcolm remained friends until his passing in 2006. Jean became a professional home painter and enjoyed talking with customers while she worked, often recalling with fond memories the interesting people she had met over the years. Jean traveled to Mexico one summer and picked up the Spanish language which she later taught, and eventually spoke four languages after adding Italian. She remained an educator at heart throughout her life and taught Spanish and French to senior citizens at the Orange County Department on Aging in Hillsborough even after she became a senior citizen herself.
Jean’s garden on Robin Road in Chapel Hill brought her joy for the four decades she lived there. She shared her love of gardening and flowers with many, and even continued to create flower arrangements to brighten others’ days while her own health declined.
Jean would make frequent trips to Goose Rocks Beach to spend time with her mother, Isobel, especially after her father, Branford, Sr., passed away. Jean and Isobel traveled to Scotland together to visit the birthplaces of Isobel’s and Branford’s parents. Jean also braved the Maine winters to ski with her brothers Bud and Rob, and her nieces, Patricia Yarosz (Brennon), Heather Taylor (Brennon), Sarah Schuler (Brennon), and her nephew Branford S. Brennon, III (Ford).
Jean was an enthusiastic dog-lover and kept many photos of her beloved four-legged friends Rufus, Dillon, Billy and Daisy. She loved volunteering and taking walks with friends, and enjoyed walking her dogs on Robin Road in Chapel Hill, walking along Goose Rocks Beach, and walking on Fidelity Street in Carrboro where she moved in 2018. Shortly after that move, Jean was diagnosed with lymphoma and became a proud cancer survivor in 2019.
Jean was an avid reader, a passion that she shared fondly with Bud and Rob, often sending books back and forth between North Carolina and Maine where they both lived. Jean also created the Aunt Jean Book Club and sent books to her grandnieces Catherine (Catie) Yarosz, Brianna Brennon, Everly Schuler, and grandnephew Kellan Schuler. She spoke with her brothers weekly, and was determined to make her final trip to Maine for Bud’s services after he passed away in October 2023. Although her health declined significantly in 2024, Jean retained her love for her family, her love of reading, and never lost her sharp wit that she was well known for. A celebration of life is planned for spring 2025.
In lieu of flowers, for anyone inclined and able to do so, please make donations to: WUNC Public Radio, or your local animal shelter in Jean’s memory.
