Jean Beatrice Schleife, 98, of rural Whitehall, formerly of Eleva, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 3, 2025 in the Gundersen Tri-County Hospital in Whitehall.

Jean was born on January 22, 1927 in Park Falls to Rose (Koran) and Joseph LaBlanc.  She married Robert Schleife on April 23, 1949 and they were blessed with four children, Robert, Lynn, Karen and Gregory.  Robert preceded Jean in death on May 23, 2012.

Growing up in the 1930's & 1940's, Jean pursued things that were much different than most young ladies at this time.  After graduating from high school, Jean moved to Duluth, MN after winning a scholarship with a modeling agency.  Jean was an outstanding figure skater.  She pursued her passion for singing and produced her own album.  Jean was known to have a sharp shooting eye; she participated in turkey shooting contests and repeatedly won against her gentlemen competitors.  Jean was never afraid to take chances and pursue her interests even if those interests weren't the norm for a young lady at that time.  She lived in Duluth, MN until she met and married the love of her life Robert Schleife in 1949 at the age of 22.  The couple found their way to the Milwaukee area and raised their four children.

Jean took great enjoyment in raising her four children but also worked outside the home.  She enjoyed scary movies, she never passed up a good garage sale, loved playing cards and cooking for those she loved.  But nothing more enjoyable was spending time with her family.  She shared her interests with us all, visiting with family brought her much happiness, especially when the visits included playing cards.  It didn't matter who you were, even the great grandkids, she didn't go easy on you; she played to win!  She filled these visits with her grand story of the past and passing her no-nonsense approach to living life to the fullest.  She was the "go to person" when someone needed to talk.  Jean always had wise words to share but always paired it with some good humor that always made you laugh.

Jean is survived by three of her children,  Robert Schleife, Lynn (Tom) Parnau and their five children, Thomas (Mikki) Parnau, Timothy (Heather) Parnau their three children; Savannah, Anicka, Mira, Cara (Brad) Mueller Brad's son Benjamin Mueller, Benjamin Parnau, and Samuel (Lily) Parnau.  Greg (Sharon) Schleife their son Brian (Melanie) Schleife and daughter Karen's children Nathan (Sara) Cooper their two children Ethan, Esther, Elizabeth (Michael) Soto and their son Dalton, Sara (Jason) Capouch, Rebecca (Scott) Johnson, Natalie (Jacob) Spies and their four children Elliott, Owen, Alaina, Evelyn, Andrew (April) Cooper and their two children Ava and Alex , Kevin (Melanie) Cooper and stepchildren Elizabeth and Jackson, Philip (Miranda) Cooper and their three children, Dylan, Sophia and Lilly.

In addition to her parents and husband, Jean was preceded in death by a daughter, Karen Hagen and a grandson, Jaris Parnau.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. in the Jack Funeral Home in Blair followed by lunch at the Town of Preston Hall located at 1102 E. Broadway, Blair, Wisconsin.