1949
Jeanne
2023
Jeanne Holper
November 28, 1949 — November 21, 2023
The best way to begin an obituary about Jeanne Bussone Holper is to say that, if it were up to her, there would never be a need for one, because she had no plans to pass away anytime soon. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness over two decades ago, Jeanne repeatedly confounded the expectations of every doctor, nurse, and rehab professional she ever met, living with resiliency, gumption and glorious irreverence until almost 74.
Jeanne was born in Milwaukee, WI to John and Elise Bussone on November 28, 1949. She was raised in Mequon, WI alongside her sister Margaret, where she graduated Homestead High School in 1967. Originally planning to study education, Jeanne instead decided to pursue a career in nursing, where her unique blend of compassion, intelligence, and fearlessness led her to specialize in oncology. She became one of the first frontline healthcare professionals to dedicate herself to fighting the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Jeanne proudly served as the chairwoman of AIDS services of Austin, Texas where she volunteered to provide education to the prison population, in schools, and on the streets of Austin. This tireless effort served the goal of preventing further transmission and empowering affected peoples to protect themselves. Her advocacy didn't end with education: Jeanne spent countless hours as a bedside nurse in hospitals and home health providing compassionate and skilled care.
While Jeanne's career fueled her intellectually and emotionally, she truly thrived in her role as a mother. She began to experience significant health problems when her children were very young, but never allowed discomfort to impede her presence in their lives. She could be spotted cheering sideline at her son's soccer games, helping her daughter with homework, and often – always, actually – opening her home to her childrens' friends and anyone else who needed a place to go or an "extra mom." As much as she loved her years as a mom, her kids have come to accept that she treasured her job as a grandmother even more, as her grandson Emerson filled her with more love and pride than even seemed possible.
Jeanne is survived proudly by her daughter Lisel (Erik) Loven, son Randall (Alexandra) Trumbull-Holper, grandson Emerson Trumbull-Holper, and best friend and sister Margaret Bussone.
While all who knew her will say that she had an indomitable spirit and will to live that defied all reasonable and even some outlandish expectations, her family knows she didn't do it alone. They would like to thank the village of healthcare professionals who kept her with them for far more years than they were expecting. This list is long and by no means all-encompassing, but thanks go to: Dr. Tomashek, Dr. Gehl, and the rest of the teams of Interventional Radiology and Testing and Treatment at CSM-Ozaukee; Dr. Bomzer and Dr. Shamah and their team at Aurora Cancer Care, with a specific nod to Theresa, the wonder nurse who could always find a vein when nobody else could; and Dr. Christopher Budny, her PCP for 25 years. It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Budny's compassionate, knowledgeable, and patient-centered care helped Jeanne come back from injury and infection time and time again to be with her loved ones. Finally, Jeanne's family would like to thank the team at Lawlis Family Hospice for their incredible care, not only for Jeanne in her final week, but their care of her entire family.
There will be a visitation at Wisconsin Memorial Park (
13235 W Capitol Dr, Brookfield, WI 53005
) on December 7th from 1:30 to 3:00 PM, followed by an internment from 3:00 to 3:30. After the service, there will be a celebration of Jeanne's life with her family starting at 5:00pm at Foxtown Brewing (
6411 W Mequon Rd, Mequon, WI 53092
). This event in particular she is no doubt highly miffed to be missing. All who knew and loved Jeanne or her family are welcome to join.
In lieu of flowers and in honor of Jeanne's lifelong work as an oncology nurse and a cancer survivor, the family encourages all who are so moved to make a donation to the Oncology Nursing Foundation via their site at
www.onfgivesback.org
.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jeanne Holper, please visit our flower store.
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