Obituary of Jean Wesley

Jean “Gina” M. (Jeffers) Wesley, 84, of Jamestown, N.Y. was called home to our Lord to rest in eternal, and everlasting peace on Sunday April 30th, 2023, with her husband Henry at her side, and surrounded by loved ones. She was born Sept. 4th, 1938 in New York City to Maria Sibycha Agatha Jeffers. Jean faced many challenges as a child when her mother passed away before Jean was even a 1-year-old. But that difficult journey would one day lead her to meeting the love of her life, Henry Wesley, whom she married on Nov. 5th, 1994. Jean was active in her community, and quickly learned to love, and care for everyone with whom she crossed paths. She would often invite friends to meet up with her - as long as they could meet up at Tim Hortons for a cup of coffee, and some ‘mac-n-cheese.’ She was a member of the Blackwell Chapel AME Zion church, where she would worship with great emotion. She enjoyed spending her free time working on her loom, listening to country music, going on walks, watching the kids across the road play soccer, vacationing with her husband and sitting in the sunshine. Jean routinely participated in various programs including those at the Michael J. Raymond Center, and Senior Adult Day Hab. In the last few years, through Ancestry DNA research, Jean learned of how her mother, Maria S. Agatha Jeffers, died in 1939, when Jean was 7-months-old, which is how Jean became a ward of the state for much of the first part of her life, before her triumphant embrace of her long-awaited, and long-overdue chance at independent living. Through that DNA research, Jean visited her mother’s grave, and also made the first contact of her life with the family of her late father. It answered questions she had throughout her life, and provided her with peace, and great solace. Jean is survived by her husband of 28 years, Henry Wesley, a marriage that turned their lives into a great love story; her advocate and friend, Midge Peterson; her self-determination assistant, Britnie Barmore and her new-found family: Phillip Kinsler (Margaret Johnson), Rebecca (Daniel) Malloy, Heather Kinsler, Ethan Kinsler-King, Ryan, and Connor Malloy, as well as her many loved ones from The Resource Center. Arrangements entrusted to Riccardi’s Hubert Funeral Home. Friends, and family will be welcomed for visitation on Tuesday, May 9th, from 11am-1pm, with a funeral service to follow officiated by Pastor Reginald Smith at Blackwell Chapel AME Zion Church. Burial to follow at Sunset Hill Cemetery Lakewood, NY. To honor her memory, please wear Jean’s favorite color, yellow, to the service. In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial contribution to the American Heart Association, the Free Wheelchair Mission, or the Audubon Community Nature Center. Send a condolence by visiting www.hubertfuneralhome.com