The Rev. Jeanne H. Linderman

Born: 11/14/1931
Died: 2/22/2012

The Rev. Jeanne H. Linderman of Hockessin, DE, a retired priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware and a longtime advocate for social justice, passed away on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, at the age of 80.
Born in Erie, PA, on November 14, 1931, daughter of the late Robert Leslie Herron and Ella Marie Stearns Herron, Jeanne was raised in upper New York State, where she graduated from Bennett High School in Buffalo in 1949. She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1953 and was employed for a time in employee relations with the former William Hengerer Company in Buffalo. Though her first vocation was to her family (she was proud to raise six fine children with her beloved husband, James S. Linderman), she later found expression for her profound religious vocation, graduating magna cum laude from the Lancaster Theological Seminary in 1981 and accepting a position as the Chaplain for the Cathedral Church of St. John in Wilmington. She then served for seven years as the Priest-in-Charge (later Vicar) of Christ Church in Delaware City, before being called in 1991 to be the Associate Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wilmington. In the years following, Jeanne returned to St. Andrew’s a number of times to serve in many capacities. After Lloyd Casson was appointed the first Rector of The Episcopal Church of Ss. Andrew and Matthew, he invited Jeanne to join the staff as an Associate Priest with a focus on pastoral care.
Jeanne was active throughout her life in church causes. In 1971, she began involvement in The Episcopal Women’s Caucus and other organizations that advocated for the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church. Her travel to the Women’s Witnessing Community at the 1988 Anglican Lambeth Conference in England supported the ordination of women in the Church of England. Her involvement in the Diocese also included serving as chair of the Human Sexuality Task Force, the Diocesan Council, the Clergy Compensation Committee, and the Diocesan Standing Committee with one year as President. Her abiding interest had always been in the healing ministry of the church and she served as mentor to four different Education for Ministry Groups.
A leader in her community as well her church, Jeanne served on the Board of Directors of both St. Michael’s Day Nursery and Geriatric Services of Delaware. She volunteered for ten years as a docent at Winterthur Museum and was active in many other organizations including the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames, the Mayflower Society (for which she served as an Elder General at the national level), the Dutch Colonial Society of Delaware, the Cornell Women’s Club of Delaware, the Chi Omega Sorority, and the Stoney Run Questers. She was especially pleased to be the guiding force for the annual, joyous “Camp Linderman” family reunion.
Jeanne is survived by her devoted husband of 57 years, Jim; their children, Susan Linderman Hayes (Daniel) of Chadds Ford, PA, John Randolph Linderman (Mary) of Wilton, CT, Richard Webster Linderman (Linnea) of Rome, NY, Craig Stephens Linderman (Lana) of Naples, Italy, Mark Herron Linderman (Jennifer) of Rome, NY, and Elizabeth Linderman Colagiuri (Charles) of Belle Mead, NJ; and 17 grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012, at the Episcopal Church of Ss. Andrew and Matthew, 719 Shipley Street (Shipley Street at Eighth Street), Wilmington, DE 19801. The funeral service will be held at 11 am on Friday, March 2, 2012, at the church. The committal service will follow at 3 pm at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Middletown, DE.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Jeanne may be made to the Episcopal Church of Ss. Andrew and Matthew at the address above.