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Jean Ellen Flake, 75, of Globe passed away Feb. 15, peacefully at her home next to her husband. She had battled multiple sclerosis for decades and had been home bound for many years.
Jean was born March 15, 1942, to Horace and Eunice Harrison and was raised on a farm near Glendale, Arizona. She attended a small country school through 8th grade. There were ten students in her 8th grade class. She then attended and graduated from the much larger West Phoenix High School.
After high school, she attended Mills College in Oakland, California for two years only to return to Arizona to graduate from Arizona State University with a teaching degree in Biology and Physical Science in 1965.
While at ASU, she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and remained a faithful member of the church for the rest of her life.
At ASU, she also met her husband, J. Dee Flake. They were married in the Mesa LDS Temple just after her graduation. The couple then moved to Tucson where she helped Dee attend law school at the University of Arizona. While there, the couple began their family.
After law school, the couple moved to Safford for Dee to begin his law practice. Within a few years, they completed their family. They had had four daughters within five years.
After almost five years in Safford, the family moved to Globe in 1973 where Dee began practicing law with Edd Dawson. Jean would live the rest of her life in Globe.
Jean was a dedicated wife and mother. She often sewed her daughter's clothes while they were growing up. Her daughters were known for wearing matching outfits that she had sewn for them. She was very active in her children's education. She served as PTA president a couple of times and often was a home room mother. She also sewed costumes for school plays for nine years.
She was very active in her church. She served in the Primary (children's) Organization for over 20 years. She also served as Young Women's President, Homemaking Leader, and Relief Society (women's organization) President, and was able to serve a mission to the Mesa LDS Temple with her husband.
In addition to all of her church service, she was a tremendous support to her husband while he served as Bishop of the Globe Ward and then later as Stake President of the Globe LDS Stake.
In her later years, her illness limited her formal church service, but it never limited her faith and prayers. Although she was confined to bed for many years, her confinement never stopped her from praying. She was known in her family for praying daily for each family member including all of her children and grandchildren. She also spent many hours researching her family history using the computer on her bed.
Jean is survived by her husband J. Dee Flake, her four daughters and their spouses Laura and Kenneth Wiltbank of Snowflake, Martha and Bryan Chambers of Globe, Susan and Trent Lyon of Avondale, and Kathryn and James Packer of Avondale. She is survived by twenty grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Two grandchildren preceded her in death. She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law Virginia and Jim Wortham of Phoenix.
Her funeral services will be held at the Globe Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at 10 a.m. The viewing will take place at 9 a.m. Interment will be at the cemetery in Snowflake.
