LINGLE – Jean Good was truly one of a kind – an incredible wife, a loving mother, a trusted friend and a caring neighbor. She was brilliant, funny, beautiful, complicated, generous, loving, creative, strong and deeply original.
She is also deeply missed.
Jean passed away on April 8, 2025, after a brief yet valiant battle with colon cancer. She was 74.
Jean was born on September 5, 1950, in Wheatland, Wyoming and was the daughter of Roy and Gladys Bowdish. The youngest of four, along with her brothers Ernie, Bill and George Douglas, Jean had what in many ways was an idyllic upbringing and she looked back on those times fondly.
Growing up on a rural farm with lots of nearby family, she was surrounded by aunts and uncles, cousins, a menagerie of animals, tons of fantastic food and lots of fun. Yes, her family worked hard and was sometimes strict – but they also loved just as hard. That upbringing instilled in Jean traits like hard work, passion, dedication and commitment – plus a love of family and tradition – that stuck with her throughout her life.
After high school graduation and a brief stint at the University of Wyoming, Jean moved to Douglas in the early 70s, following in the footsteps of Roy and Gladys, who had also made the move to farm a different tract of land. Proudly, Jean got her first “real job” shortly thereafter, at the local accountant’s office. Her boss, Mr. Damarin, became a friend – and a lifelong mentor.
While working in Douglas, Jean also had the good fortune to meet Bruce Good – the son of the local airport manager and the man who would become the love of her life and her soon-to-be husband. In a scene that could have come from any Hollywood movie, the couple met while cruising the streets of Douglas one evening in their muscle cars. Jean’s flashy 1963 dark blue Impala caught Bruce’s eye – and he simply “had” to meet the girl in the short skirt who had driven by and given him the eye. That chance encounter led to a date – and then a life together when they wed not that long after, on June 25, 1973.
Once married, the pair decided to go into farming and ranching together. They leased some land and set out to build their life. While a devastating hailstorm their first fall together robbed them of an entire year’s income, their relationship continued to flourish and blossom, nonetheless. Years later, they would share stories about packed lunches they enjoyed huddled in the back of a pick-up during a quick break or waving at each other as their respective tractors passed one another out in the fields, planting corn or cutting hay (sometimes with an infant happily napping on the floorboards). In the winter, they fed cows and raised calves together – always working tirelessly and striving for a better life.
That hard work, day after day, field after field, season after season, finally paid off. By 1986, Bruce and Jean had scrimped and saved enough to reach a milestone – buying their first farm. They packed up their sons Brian and Jared and moved to Lingle, settling into the home where the pair would live for the rest of their lives.
Outside of work, Jean was incredibly passionate about her hobbies and the things that brought her joy each day. For starters, she loved to read and was never far from her current paperback of choice. She could whiz through multiple books in a week but always joked that she tried to take her time so the books didn’t go too fast and she had time to savor them. Her favorite titles were always mysteries – Agatha Christie, The Cat Who..., books about Brits, stories of quirky women who cooked or crafted and solved crimes and mysteries with cats. Nothing too grisly or horrific, but in general, if there was a mystery and a whodunit to solve in the pages, there was a pretty good chance she would enjoy it.
Jean also loved decorating. Her house was her masterpiece and a true extension of her personality. She often said that “home” should bring you joy and should be filled with the things you love, even if nobody else gets it. That secret made her home magical. She designed the additions that were built on over the years, she painted all the walls and she even laid the travertine tiles – a feature she was endlessly proud of. Jean decorated each and every inch of her house, filling the walls with treasures and making every corner sparkle and breathe with life. Antiques, mementos from her travels, gifts from friends and family, things she found in cozy local shops or markets or craft fairs or sought out from local artisans – her home was her sanctuary and remains a special place like no other.
Jean was an incredible cook. She mastered recipes she learned from her mother, Gladys (an incredible cook in her own right), but she also loved to try new dishes. She would experiment with recipes from friends, try things she saw on TV or read about – and she always nailed them without fail. She made incredible soups and meatloafs and casseroles and as a baker, she truly shined: candies, fudge, pralines, cookies, cinnamon rolls and sweets of all types. Especially around the holidays, her house was a cornucopia of fabulous, decadent, sweet and savory treats.
Jean loved to swim. Shortly after she and the family bought their home and farm, she decided it needed a pool installed into the backyard. The pool she picked was above ground and round and not fancy – but she loved it with all her heart. When the kids were young, she spent time in it with them at the end of a hot day, playing and laughing together. And once they had moved out, she still swam in it daily, doing laps back and forth for as long as she could muster...sometimes multiple rounds each day. She would start swimming as early in the season as she could – early May, as soon as there was time to get the pool clean and set up. And she would swim every day she could after that, often well into late October when the water was so frigid she would shiver for hours afterward. She didn’t care – she just loved being in the water that much. In recent years, she even started swimming in Torrington at one of the local hotels during the winter months, making the trip with friends and savoring each time she got back into the water and was able to once again complete her laps.
Jean loved cats…well, really animals of all types – but especially cats. She had her indoor cats, the outdoor farm cats and she took wonderful care of all of them…countless cats over countless years: Frosty, Sparky, Whiskers, Sylvester, Leon, Ferd, Sammy, Pookie, Patch, Max, Sunny, Katie, Dolly, Pete and so many more. The indoor cats would follow her around the house endlessly and always slept on the bed with her at night. And when she went outside, the farm cats would all come running – they just naturally loved her and she loved them back with equal passion.
Despite being the ultimate cat lady, Jean also loved birds. This was a passion she didn’t get into until later in life, but once Jean started feeding the birds, she quickly became an ardent birdwatcher. She filled the feeders daily, put out suet – or sometimes even made it herself. She watched for regulars to come feed each day – cardinals and woodpeckers were true favorites. And when new birds showed up, she’d flip through books, looking at all the different breeds and varieties until she found just the bird she’d recently spotted.
Beyond her home and the things within it, Jean also had a deep and lifelong passion for clothes. Fun, funky, colorful, sparkly – with rhinestones or silver or gold or a bit of flair. She loved fur and leather and she put all her looks together with love and care each day. She filled closet after closet in her house with unique tops and scarves and hats and shoes, combining occasional designer brands with one-of-a-kind pieces or unusual finds. She loved nothing more than to have a reason to get dressed up, go somewhere, get compliments and show off her unique and wonderful style. She often joked that one of the reasons she loved working as an office manager at the Telegram (a career she took to when she had tired of farming) – and one of the reasons she did it so long – was that it always gave her a chance to put together a new look and outfit and go out into the world feeling and looking her best.
Jean loved crafting and puzzles and gardening and rock music – from Elvis and the Beatles right up through modern bands like The Killers and Mumford and Sons. She would often turn her music up loud and bop around the house, cleaning or decorating for the seasons, just having fun and enjoying life.
In her garden, Jean also worked tirelessly – moving stones, mowing, watering, planting and creating a fabulous, vibrant, thriving outdoor space filled with color and life. Not an easy task in Wyoming, where the wind is constant, the water and rain are minimal and weeds are the only thing that ever really want to grow. Still, she kept at it all the time, toiling in the hot sun and working up a sweat, building those spaces into the fantasy world she was constantly re-envisioning and re-creating.
With that huge and passionate heart of hers, Jean was also an incredible friend, helping out whenever needed in the community or when a neighbor or a sorority sister could use a helping hand. If someone had a challenge or a problem she could help with, she was always there to jump in or lend a shoulder of support in whatever way she could.
Always striving to learn and master new things, Jean also loved to travel. She loved going places and exploring and seeing the world. When the kids were young and money was tight, the family still got out as much as they could. Trips to the lake or the river or just driving around, following new roads and exploring towns and neighborhoods they’d never been to before – just to see what they might find. Where does this road into the mountains go? Who knows. Let’s drive up it and find out!
Later on, Bruce and Jean also got the international travel bug – going on tours all over Europe whenever they could. They visited Spain and Portugal and England and France and Sweden and Norway, taking hundreds of pictures and bringing back suitcases of souvenirs and mementos. Italy – and Rome and Venice in particular – was a special favorite…one that Jean looked back on often and truly considered one of the happiest and most rewarding trips of her life.
For someone with so much heart and who loved so many different things so deeply, it’s not surprising that Jean was also one of the strongest individuals most people ever met. Emotionally strong and physically strong – not in terms of muscle strength, but rather stamina, drive and passion. She sat at the dining room table for hours late in the evenings in the family’s early days, working out finances and figuring out how to keep everything afloat so the farm could thrive, the kids could go to college and everyone could prosper.
Physically, too, Jean was a superstar. She supported her father Roy during his struggle with skin cancer and the eventual loss of function in one of his arms. She supported her mother Gladys following Roy’s death, helping her move and set up her house – and later taking care of her and letting her move into the family home as Gladys’ memory began to falter and she began to show early signs of dementia
Of course, Jean also had her own physical health struggles – from overcoming polio as a child to surviving a near-deadly car crash with a deer in her early 20s. But she never let those challenges hold her back. And as she got older, she fought and overcame breast cancer (driving over an hour each day to get chemo on her lunch hour and then returning to work, without ever calling in sick throughout the entire treatment), a serious fall down a flight of stairs, issues with her thyroid and eventually, her brief yet valiant battle against colon cancer, fighting courageously day in and day out right up until the end.
Finally, no look back at Jean’s life would be complete without a mention of her love of Christmas. Jean adored the holiday and everything about it: what it stands for, the message, the symbols, the gifts, the music and – of course – the decorations. It was not only her favorite season but also her favorite time of every year.
When Brian and Jared were young, Jean spent months working on handmade crafts—not just because she loved crafting but because she could then use the proceeds from their sales at craft fairs to buy gifts and celebrate the season and give them the most incredible Christmas each and every year. Jean spent weeks decorating each and every corner of her house for Christmas every year from that time on. She loved nothing more than entertaining, having people over, celebrating with friends and family and truly making the most of the season.
And of course, she also loved giving gifts. Jean was a truly generous gift-giver – thoughtful, creative and endlessly enthusiastic about finding just the right thing for every person she cared about in life. She gave gifts not out of obligation, but because she genuinely loved making others feel special and seen. Whether it was a trinket from a trip, a handmade craft, something she found at a craft fair or local market, or something sparkly she knew someone would love – Jean’s gifts were always personal, always from the heart and always remembered.
Jean loved her family fiercely. She was endlessly proud of her husband Bruce and all that they built together. She loved being a mom and poured herself into raising Brian and Jared with love, laughter and support. She showed up for every school event, every play and parent-teacher conference and every moment that mattered – and made sure her boys knew they were loved unconditionally. She was a champion for her kids and the kind of mom who truly lit up when her family was around – always cooking something, always giving something, always doing something to make their lives better.
She was also the kind of person who didn’t just love you quietly – she told you. She expressed her love openly and often, with her words, her hugs, her humor and her endless care. She would brag about her family, celebrate their accomplishments and support them through anything.
Jean Good was many things. She was dazzling. She was compassionate and wise. She was kind, quick-witted, funny, tender and irreplaceable. She gave her all to the people she loved and the life she built – and left a mark on this world that cannot be measured or replaced.
Jean is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Bruce; her sons, Brian and Jared; her brothers, Ernie Douglas and Bill Douglas; and her beloved cat, Pete. She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Gladys and her brother George.
She was truly one of a kind. She was deeply loved and will be missed beyond measure.
Please join us as we gather in Jean’s beloved home on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. to celebrate her remarkable life. This will be a casual, heartfelt event where we’ll share memories, honor the kindness and joy she brought to so many and reflect on the many ways she made the world bigger, brighter, more fun and more filled with love.
In true Jean fashion, this will be a potluck-style gathering – feel free to bring an appetizer or dessert to share (no full meal necessary). Jean’s favorites – Diet Pepsi, hot coffee and angel food cake – will, of course, be on hand.
Jean was a collector of beautiful things and meaningful mementos and she left behind many treasures that reflect her joys and passions. She also loved giving gifts. To mark that spirit, guests are welcome to select items – such as decorations, books, or items of clothing – to take home as a keepsake and remembrance of her love and spirit.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating Jean’s life, sharing stories and remembering the wonderful woman she was.
