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Jean Barnett Lanham (nee Turner) traded this life for the arms of Jesus on Oct. 17, 2026, following a brief illness.
She had just celebrated her 79th birthday and died as she lived, surrounded by adoring family and friends.
Jean was born on Oct. 10, 1947, on the family farm in Ravenswood, West Virginia.
The third of nine children of Marjorie and Wedsel Turner, Jean helped raise and care for many of her siblings. She and her sisters formed a gospel singing group that traveled the area, where she played piano and sang alto.
Jean met and married her husband, Denver, while earning her degree from Glenville State College.
She and Denver were married for 49 years and 10 months, parted by Denver's passing in 2018.
Jean and Denver had two children, Sean (Denise) Barnett of Buckhannon, and Heather (Shawn) Withrow of Hopwood, Pennsylvania.
Jean loved children and was a delightful, caring mother and grandmother to her eight grandchildren, as well as many other children and friends who were family in every way that matters. Jean was known for her baking, and often expressed her love through pies, cookies, and cakes. Denver claimed he married her for her pies. If that was true, he certainly got a great many additional gifts with Jean in the bargain. There can be no doubt that he married up. Immediately following their wedding, Denver left the country to serve in Vietnam for a year. Jean said that year was when they got along best in their marriage.
Following Denver's death, Jean married Cecil Lanham in 2020. They lived in Buckhannon and together led a large family that she loved and cared for, each as her own. Taking on the monikers of Mom, Momma Jean and Grandma Jean, she joined them as if she had always been there.
Jean taught public school for over 40 years, at times teaching multiple generations of the same families. She cared deeply for her students, and when she saw one struggling, she would move heaven and earth to help them succeed. Jean liked to keep a hard shell visible, with sayings like "Don't Smile Until Christmas," but was a big softie underneath.
She was known to cry at movies, sweet sentiments and Kleenex commercials. She created "Hug or Shake Day" and often celebrated it with her students, letting them choose a hug or a handshake as a "toll" to leave her classroom. If a child in her class needed something tangible, she never hesitated to spend her own money on them, anonymously. Jean never sought recognition and often deflected or rejected it when it came her way. She cared about people, not about credit. The phrase "there for you when you need her" could have been coined for Jean. Anything anyone needed, from moving help to fourteen-page term papers (due the next day), Jean was there.
In addition to being a gifted baker, Jean enjoyed sewing, playing the piano, embroidery and gardening. To date, there has never been a Sudoku puzzle that she couldn't solve. She shared her musical talents throughout her life and spent decades serving the music ministry through choir, piano and handbells. Handbells held a special place in her heart. She scheduled time away only when it didn't interfere with handbell practices or performances. The people in the handbell choir and the chancel choir at First United Methodist Church in Elkins were absolutely precious to her. She was especially close to Gale Poe and Denise Kramer, with friendships spanning decades. Jean had a wicked sense of humor and an ornery streak. She famously played good-natured pranks and laid out diabolical plans that could have been instructional to the CIA. She once hid ramps in a box of copy paper and placed them in the ceiling of her principal's office. The poor man spent weeks looking for the source of the smell. She absolutely loved a good joke, but she showed the teller she approved by groaning and rolling her eyes.
Heaven's gain is definitely earth's loss. Left behind to mourn her are her loving husband, Cecil; her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters (both in life and in Christ), and pretty much everyone who knew her. Her legacy will live on in those who knew her best.
If you would like to honor Jean's extraordinary life, here are a few suggestions:
Invest in the life of a child
Bake, especially chocolate chip cookies; Jean baked thousands for the Kairos Prison Ministry
Sing or play a song/hymn; her favorite was "His Eye is on the Sparrow"
Be wise: Jean was a wealth of wisdom and problem-solving
Wear the color yellow, her favorite
Be active in your church (or find a church)
Watch an old musical or a Hallmark movie
Be there for someone who needs help
Be a little ornery and a lot of fun
Speak your love, then speak it again, then speak it still once more
Friends may call from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at Tomblyn Funeral Home in Elkins.
A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., from the funeral home chapel, with Pastor Tim Turner officiating.
Interment will follow in the American Legion's Little Arlington Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Jean's memory to Jumonville Camp and Retreat Center (a ministry close to Jean's heart), www.jumonville.org/give, or you can mail donations to 887 Jumonville Rd. Hopwood, PA 15445.
The Tomblyn Funeral Home of Elkins is in charge of the arrangements for Jean Ann Lanham.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.tomblynfuneralhome.com.