Colleagues,
It is with sadness that I share with you the passing of former colleague Jean Wagner. She passed on June 9, 2023 after a courageous battle with cancer.
Jean started working at MHCC in 1979 as a Family Worker Coordinator with our Head Start program, and served as the Executive Director of Head Start/Early Head Start from 1994 to 2015. She retired in 2015 and stayed on in a part-time capacity through 2018, supporting the program she built.
She was remembered fondly:
She was a pioneer for the Head Start program who helped to keep in going over the years.
Jean was one of the most positive people I have had the pleasure of knowing. She always had a brilliant smile; even when things were difficult or complex, she would smile and put a positive light on things.
Jean touched thousands of lives over her career, from the employees she led to the children and families she supported over four decades in the program.
I will forever remember Jean for her beautiful smile, eagerness to laugh, and passion for seeing others succeed. She has positively affected so many lives, her memory will live in for a long time.
Jean touched too many lives to count, and she nurtured and inspired so many of us to become the very best versions of ourselves. She will be missed.
She was a passionate champion for families and the best mentor a person could ever ask for in life. I felt fortunate to have known her over half of my life time.
Jean was a very special, loved working with her. She could always light up the room. I loved her singing around the office.
My heart breaks for our community as Jean was a pillar and such an influence in helping parents with small children succeed. She was a mentor and had a heart of gold, she always laughed at my jokes and always gave me hugs and encouraged me. She was truly a light in a dark world.