Jean
Jean Taranta
d. October 4, 2017
Jean Elizabeth Holtz Taranta (September 29, 1922
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October 4, 2017). Jean Elizabeth Taranta, longtime Philadelphia educator and activist, died as a result of a fall on October 4, 2017. She was 95 years old. She dedicated her life to service to others and redefined aging through her actions and activities in the latest years of her life.
Born in Detroit to Pearl and Charles Holtz, she married Italo Taranta in 1956 and raised three children - Ann (Whitehead), Chris and Mark - and was grandmother to seven grandchildren (Alison Trujillo, Brandon Pea, Leif, Jacob, Nadia, Jonah and Rosie Taranta) and two great grandchildren (Victoria and Josiah Trujillo). After residing in Detroit and then Louisville, Kentucky, Jean moved with her family to Philadelphia where she went back to school at Temple University to earn her Bachelor's degree at the age of 48. She went on to earn a Master's degree while pursuing a career in education. She served Friends' Central School for 37 years, first as lower school teacher and then as head librarian of the lower school. She retired at the age of 85 only because she wanted to care for her ailing husband. At Friends' Central she was known for her generosity, tireless work ethic, creative spirit and compassion for others.
After dedicating the first 46 years of her life to her family, Jean reinvented herself not only as an educator but also as someone deeply committed to community service. An active member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County (UUCDC), she was a member of the Social Justice Team and founded the church's Food Bank that makes weekly contributions to the First United Methodist Church of Media Food Bank. Up until the week before her death, she personally drove to purchase and deliver 150 pounds of fresh produce to the Food Bank. At the age of 75 she traveled to Guatemala to build houses for Habitat for Humanity, and at 83 she went to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina, where she slept on the church floor and cooked meals for those rebuilding the 9th District.
Jean also became politically active during her senior years. She served for decades as the Minority Election Inspector in her local voting precinct. She worked fervently in support of a number of causes, most notably sensible gun legislation, for which she attended numerous rallies and lobbied countless legislators. She also advocated for the rights of the LGBTQ community and saving the Affordable Care Act. As recently as November 2016, following the election, she participated in the Philadelphia-based Women's March at age 94.
An incredibly social person, Jean maintained lifelong friendships lasting over 60 years. With a corps of like-minded Friends' Central teachers, "The Mad Hatters" were founded; a group that continued to meet well after everyone retired. When her husband was ill and she could not go out as often as she cared to, she simply brought her friends and activities into her home, creating and participating in a monthly Shakespeare Club.
Jean was an avid reader and lover of books of all kinds. In the last year of her life she took on the challenge of reading the top contemporary reads. She had an insatiable curiosity and appetite for learning, continually challenging herself to learn new crafts and skills, including quilting, gardening, watercolor painting and photography. She loved traveling, making an international trip to Amsterdam and Paris with her closest friend at the age of 77 and her last to Italy at the age of 93. With 17 family members, she visited the towns of Tuscany as well as Venice and its surroundings. Together with her family, she scattered her husband's ashes in the olive groves above Florence.
Jean is remembered for her selfless love of family, compassion for others, generosity of spirit, and powerful contributions to her many communities.
A memorial service will be held on December 2, 2017 at 11am at Unitarian Universalist, Church of Delaware County (UUCDC), 145 West Rose Tree Road, Media, PA 19063.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County(UUCDC), 145 W. Rose Tree Road, Media, PA 19063 (memo line Jean Taranta, Food Bank), Friends' Central School, 1101 City Line Avenue, Wynnewood, PA 19096, and Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy, 342 W. 4th Street, Media, PA 19063.
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October 4, 2017). Jean Elizabeth Taranta, longtime Philadelphia educator and activist, died as a result of a fall on October 4, 2017. She was 95 years old. She dedicated her life to service to others and redefined aging through her actions and activities in the latest years of her life.
Born in Detroit to Pearl and Charles Holtz, she married Italo Taranta in 1956 and raised three children - Ann (Whitehead), Chris and Mark - and was grandmother to seven grandchildren (Alison Trujillo, Brandon Pea, Leif, Jacob, Nadia, Jonah and Rosie Taranta) and two great grandchildren (Victoria and Josiah Trujillo). After residing in Detroit and then Louisville, Kentucky, Jean moved with her family to Philadelphia where she went back to school at Temple University to earn her Bachelor's degree at the age of 48. She went on to earn a Master's degree while pursuing a career in education. She served Friends' Central School for 37 years, first as lower school teacher and then as head librarian of the lower school. She retired at the age of 85 only because she wanted to care for her ailing husband. At Friends' Central she was known for her generosity, tireless work ethic, creative spirit and compassion for others.
After dedicating the first 46 years of her life to her family, Jean reinvented herself not only as an educator but also as someone deeply committed to community service. An active member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County (UUCDC), she was a member of the Social Justice Team and founded the church's Food Bank that makes weekly contributions to the First United Methodist Church of Media Food Bank. Up until the week before her death, she personally drove to purchase and deliver 150 pounds of fresh produce to the Food Bank. At the age of 75 she traveled to Guatemala to build houses for Habitat for Humanity, and at 83 she went to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina, where she slept on the church floor and cooked meals for those rebuilding the 9th District.
Jean also became politically active during her senior years. She served for decades as the Minority Election Inspector in her local voting precinct. She worked fervently in support of a number of causes, most notably sensible gun legislation, for which she attended numerous rallies and lobbied countless legislators. She also advocated for the rights of the LGBTQ community and saving the Affordable Care Act. As recently as November 2016, following the election, she participated in the Philadelphia-based Women's March at age 94.
An incredibly social person, Jean maintained lifelong friendships lasting over 60 years. With a corps of like-minded Friends' Central teachers, "The Mad Hatters" were founded; a group that continued to meet well after everyone retired. When her husband was ill and she could not go out as often as she cared to, she simply brought her friends and activities into her home, creating and participating in a monthly Shakespeare Club.
Jean was an avid reader and lover of books of all kinds. In the last year of her life she took on the challenge of reading the top contemporary reads. She had an insatiable curiosity and appetite for learning, continually challenging herself to learn new crafts and skills, including quilting, gardening, watercolor painting and photography. She loved traveling, making an international trip to Amsterdam and Paris with her closest friend at the age of 77 and her last to Italy at the age of 93. With 17 family members, she visited the towns of Tuscany as well as Venice and its surroundings. Together with her family, she scattered her husband's ashes in the olive groves above Florence.
Jean is remembered for her selfless love of family, compassion for others, generosity of spirit, and powerful contributions to her many communities.
A memorial service will be held on December 2, 2017 at 11am at Unitarian Universalist, Church of Delaware County (UUCDC), 145 West Rose Tree Road, Media, PA 19063.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County(UUCDC), 145 W. Rose Tree Road, Media, PA 19063 (memo line Jean Taranta, Food Bank), Friends' Central School, 1101 City Line Avenue, Wynnewood, PA 19096, and Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy, 342 W. 4th Street, Media, PA 19063.
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