Jean Leah Oliver was born December 18, 1922 as the only child of Leroy and Ruth Edna Webster Oliver in Alton, Illinois. Her parents moved to The Ville in St. Louis when she was an infant and affiliated themselves with St. James AME Church. As a young child, Jean was a member of the Cradle Roll and went on to be a regular Sunday School member. Jean was the oldest living member of the Oliver and Webster families.
A product of the St. Louis Public Schools, she attended John Marshall Elementary and Charles Sumner High School where she graduated as an Honor Society Member of the Class of 1940. She went on to attend Stowe Teachers College where she pledged the Alpha Omega Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and worked part-time at the Post Office. Upon receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Stowe in 1944, she began a 44 year career with the St. Louis Public Schools as a classroom teacher.
In August of 1948, she was united in Holy Matrimony to William E. Wright by Rev. C. Wayne Love of St. James AME Church. To this union one child, Robin Michele Wright, was born in 1950. William died in July of 1999 after 51 years of marriage.
Jean received a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Missouri at St. Louis in 1969. During her tenure with the public schools she taught 3rdgrade at Cote Brilliante Elementary School, 8thgrade at Patrick Henry Elementary School and retired in 1988 after serving as counselor at Pruitt Middle School and Blewett Middle School.
Jean has remained a 95 year lifelong member of St. James AME being an active member of the Senior Saints, a regular attendee at the Tuesday Midday Bible Class and the Ledora Wright Adult Sun ay School Class. She is one of the few remaining active members of the Sumner Class of 1940. She was honored twice this decade as a St. James 90+ Member and was recognized as St. James AME Mother of the Year in 2015.
She departed this Life on Saturday, September 29, 2018. She leaves to cherish her memory her daughter, Senator Robin Wright-Jones, grandsons Damon Alexander Jones (Vanessa), Adam Christopher Jones (Mareka), Michael Newton Jones (Erica), great-grandchildren Alexandra Camille Jones, Damon A. Jones, II, Adam C. Jones, II, Kennedy Alise Jones, Autumn Kayden Jones, members of the Oliver and Webster families and friends.
Services were held on Wednesday October 10, 2018 at St. James AME Church. Interment was at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
