Jeannine St. Bernard Giesen, 94, of Lake Forest, Illinois, passed away on January 31, 2024, at Lake Forest Place in Lake Forest, Illinois, after a long and fulfilling life. She was born on February 11, 1929, in River Forest, Illinois, to William Earl St. Bernard and Ruth Trask St. Bernard. Jeannine graduated from Mundelein College (which has since merged with Loyola University) in Chicago, Illinois. She married Richard Allyn Giesen on January 31, 1953, and they spent 60 wonderful years together prior to his passing in 2013. They first met at the Waa-Mu show at Northwestern University.
Jeannine was a member of the women’s boards of Northwestern University, Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield Zoo, and Ravinia. In addition, she was a founding life member of Alliance de Francaise of Chicago, a life member of The Antiquarian Society, a member of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, and a member of Junior League of Chicago.
What’s more, Jeannine was an avid fan of all things sports. She was an especially enthusiastic backer of the Chicago Bears for whom her cousin, Hugh Gallarneau, played and was voted a top 100 Bears player.
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Jeannine was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by her children, Richard Allyn Giesen Jr. (Lynn), and Mark St. Bernard Giesen; her grandchildren, Soleil and Noah Giesen, Spencer (Mallory) Giesen, Lindsay (David) Kassabian, and Reggie Giesen; and her great-grandchildren, Ellis and Henry Kassabian, and Adelyn Giesen. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Allyn Giesen, and her daughter, Laurie Jeannine Giesen.
A memorial service will be held on June 7th, 2024 at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest, Illinois at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org).
