Jean Anderson Howard, 94, stepped into her eternal home with Jesus on June 4, 2026. She will be greatly missed by the family and friends who loved her dearly.

Jean was born in Somerton, Arizona, on April 20, 1932, to Edward and Lela Mason Anderson. She spent the majority of her childhood in California, where her father was a successful farmer and rancher. Jean attended Shafter High School, where she excelled as the editor of the school newspaper, head majorette, an honor roll student every semester, and an athlete who lettered in all sports.

While working at the local theater after school, Jean met a handsome young man named Herb Howard, who had just returned from Oregon after being discharged from the Army. He visited her at the candy counter and taught her how to spin coins. When she arrived home, she told her mother she had met the man she would marry. They dated for a year before marrying on October 16, 1949.

The couple remained in California until 1958, when they moved to Willcox, Arizona, with their three children; their fourth child was later born there. In 1967, the family moved to San Carlos Lake to assist Jean’s parents in managing the local restaurant and boat dock. They eventually relocated to nearby Globe, Arizona, where they lived until their children were grown.

After 25 years of keeping house, raising her four children, and working part-time as a bookkeeper, Jean returned to school. She earned her Registered Nurse (RN) degree from Eastern Arizona College in 1976. She spent the next 30-plus years dedicated to the nursing field, serving patients in Globe, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Lela Anderson; her brothers, Gary and Duane; her sister, Janice; and her beloved husband, Herb, who passed away in 2000 after 50 years of marriage.

She is survived by her children: Duane(Joyce), Mike (Debra), Janet Lanphar(John), and Le’Ann Reyes (Tony); her sister, Carol Weaver Burrell of Globe, Arizona; and her brother, Jerry Anderson (Susan) of Spring Hope, North Carolina. Jean’s legacy also lives on through her 11 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and multiple nieces and nephews.

Private services will be held on June 15, 2026.