Jeannette Julia Lybeert passed away on January 3, 2023 just short of her 85th birthday, after battling pancreatic cancer for 9 months. Her beloved partner and husband for over 34 years, Ed McWilliams, was by her side. She was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on January 30,1938 to the late Edmond and Annette Lybeert and lived with her sister, Louise and her brother Robert.
Up to and through high school, Jeannette lived in a French immigrant community while her father worked as a senior manager in a french-owned textile mill that relocated to the United States after WWI. While living in Rhode Island, Jeannette loved to float on her make-shift raft in the ocean, play with paper dolls, ride her bike and play make-believe in the nearby woods. Jeannette was known for her kindness, intelligence, beauty and shyness.
After Jeannette graduated from high school, she and her family moved to Philadelphia, Pa., where she enrolled in a secretarial school. Her first job was working at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company where she shined with her organizational skills, professionalism, intelligence and poise. Jeannette temporarily left the workforce after marrying to then raise her three children-Michele, John and Anne-Marie. In 1977, Jeannette returned to the workforce. She worked as a legal secretary until her retirement at the Ballard Spahr law firm in Philadelphia, Pa.
Jeannette was a devoted daughter, wife, mother and Catholic. She lived close to her parents and enjoyed visiting them every Sunday after church. In her retirement, she and Ed McWilliams lived in Delran, NJ until moving to Leesburg, Florida in 2015. Jeannette enjoyed bird watching, bridge playing, gardening, traveling, swimming, reading and spending time with family and friends. She is survived by her husband, her children, step-children, and her many
grandchildren.
A Mass will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Leesburg, Florida at a later date. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at the Venetian Center, 1 Dozier Court, Leesburg, FL on Monday, January 30, 2023 from 9 to 11 a.m.
