Jean Elizabeth (Resnicek) Mansfield died on Nov. 1, 2022, at Seashore Point in Provincetown. She was 100 years old.
Family members recall her vividly as someone who loved life and lived it to its fullest, who experienced joys and sorrows with courage and grace, who was always ready for a new adventure, and whose laughter was contagious.
The youngest of three sisters, Jean was born on April 8, 1922 in New York City to Charles and Margaret (Clark) Resnicek. The family moved to Nutley, N.J. when Jean was five.
She was proud of her immigrant parents. Her father was born in Austria and her mother in Ireland. Music was important in her father’s family. His grandfather had played in a symphony orchestra, but his daughters did not inherit much musical talent. Nonetheless, Jean loved classical music; as she listened, she would assume the role of conductor seated in her chair.
In later life she traveled to China, England, Scotland, Wales, and her mother’s home country, Ireland, but regretted never visiting Austria.
Growing up, she and her sisters would often take the bus to New York City to visit family and friends. She loved the sights and sounds of the city. Nutley was her home until she was 94, when she relocated to her niece Eileen Cabral’s home in North Truro. She never lost her love for the city.
After high school, Jean went to work for Hoffman La Roche, a pharmaceutical company. She rose to department supervisor, retiring from the company after 32 years.
In 1947, Jean married the love of her life, John S. Mansfield. They were married for 40 years.
Soon after her retirement, Jean, John, her sister Ann and brother-in-law Werner were in a horrific accident when a tractor trailer collided head on with their car, leaving John paralyzed. Jean nursed her husband at home 24 hours a day until his death in 1987. She learned to drive a handicapped van, taking him to medical appointments and making life as normal as possible.
She loved a good political discussion. Jean wanted to live to 100 so she could get a letter from the president, which she did before she died. She knew the best restaurants and would always order a glass of good Scotch to go with dinner.
She did not have children but loved her nieces and nephews dearly. They are grateful for all she did for them, always with a gentle smile and the right words of comfort or cheer. Their memories of her are lasting.
Jean is survived by her nieces and nephews: Eileen (Kane) Cabral of North Truro; Michael Cabral and wife Tara of Pittsfield, N.H.; Colleen Cabral and Herb Pechfelder and wife Linda of Ramsey, N.J.; Susan De Graw and husband Matt of New York; Laura Pechfelder of Ramsey; Rich Pechfelder and wife Gloria of Rockaway, N.J.; Ricky Pechfelder and wife Lisa; Carolyn Willis, Dennis Pechfelder, and Amy Sipple and husband Matt of Rockaway; and all their children.
Jean was predeceased by her husband, John; her sisters, Miriam Kane and husband Raymond and Annabelle Pechfelder and husband Werner; and her niece, Jean Ann O’Brian.
Burial will be at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield, N.J. at noon on Nov. 14. A memorial service in Provincetown will be held at a date to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jean’s memory may be made to Seashore Point Wellness Center Activities Dept., 100 Alden St., Provincetown 02657; to St. Peter the Apostle Church St. Vincent De Paul, 11 Prince St., Provincetown 02657; or to St. Paul’s Congregational Church, 10 St. Paul’s Place, Nutley, N.J. 07110.
Notes of comfort may be posted at chapmanfuneral.com.
