Jean Palmer Messex passed away peacefully on Jan. 24, 2016, surrounded by members of her family and her dogs. She was born to the late William Pendleton Palmer, Jr. and the late Jean Hanna Palmer on Jan. 12, 1934, in Cleveland, Ohio.
She was a graduate of The Madeira School and Briarcliff Junior College. Jean married A. Bliss McCrum, Jr. in 1955. They were blessed with six children and raised them in New Canaan, Ct.
When her youngest child was still at the New Canaan Country School, Jean began as a volunteer in the Lower School art program there. She ended up with her own kindergarten class and was beloved by the many students whose lives she touched and shaped.
After her first marriage ended, Jean married Marvin G. Messex in 1989, and they moved to Vero Beach. There, she pursued watercolor painting; one of her many talents.
Every summer of her life, Jean returned to her family’s summer home in Blue Hill, Maine – a place she loved deeply. Jean was a patron of the arts and a champion of people and animals in need. She served on many boards across the years in the towns where she lived.
Jean is survived by her six children, Hanna (Kris) Henderson, Lindsay McCrum, Elizabeth McCrum, Bo (Barbara) McCrum, Kate Boleyn, and William McCrum; and seven grandchildren, Morgan, Whitney, Emma-Claire, Kathryn, Hanna, Matthew, and Jacob. She is also survived by two step-sons, Monty (Kim) Messex and Michael (Tina) Messex; and five step-grandchildren. Her two devoted dogs, Tippy Toes and Scooter, also survive her.
Marvin predeceased her in July 2014.
A celebration of her life will be held in Blue Hill, Maine, at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jean’s memory can be made to the Vero Beach Museum of Art.
