Jeanne Louise Campbell

life story

Hawaiian beauty

Jeanne was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and returned to the islands with her loved ones many times over the course of her life. This picture was taken on her 75th birthday with her six children - Brandon & Lena, Quinn & Sara and Charmagne & Jeremy, and her four grandchildren, Calla, Sylvia, Jasper & Etta.

Major Milestones in Jeanne's Life

Jeanne was born on January 27, 1949 in Aiea-Ewa, Honolulu, Hawaii to her mother, Margaret Marie Sears and father, Howard Duncan Campbell. She was their third child, joining her brother Gary and sister Barbara. When Jeanne was three years old, her father died in an air explosion in the Korean War which derailed the family and left an incredible hole in their lives. They moved in with Margaret's parents until she remarried.

Jeanne’s mother went on to marry Douglas Pope and move to Whitter, California, where her younger brother David was born. The family eventually settled in Boulder, Colorado, where Jeanne grew up.

Jeanne's youth was filled with cheerleading, skiing and no small amount of rebelliousness. She was a free spirit who liked to push boundaries, including the one between the US and Mexico.

Jeanne graduated from Boulder High School in 1967 and spent the summer with her sister in San Francisco during the "67 summer of love." She was a flower child and had a wild and free summer.

She went on to the University of Oregon in Eugene where she met and fell in love with her first husband, Dana Brockway. They were married at sunrise on Flagstaff mountain overlooking Boulder.

In 1972, Jeanne graduated University with a teaching degree. She separated from Dana and moved to Minnesota with her new partner, Brooks, where she became a teacher and eventually director at Commons House Alternative High School. One of her students at Commons House was Tim Patton, who was the younger brother of Michael Patton. Jeanne really connected with Tim and the other young people who were struggling with the traditional education system. She truly believed in the importance of fostering the unique gifts in every person and not forcing anyone into a box.

Jeanne and Michael began a relationship in 1975. Two years later, they bought their home on Saint Clair avenue in Saint Paul, where they lived and raised their three children, Brandon, Quinn and Charmagne. They also spent several years in Trinidad, where Jeanne loved dancing to Calypso music during the annual Carnival celebrations.

In 1985, Jeanne received her PhD from the University of Minnesota in Education Policy & Administration. She worked for many years as a program evaluator. In 1991, she served as president of the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus. Jeanne was very politically active, often supporting women candidates and mentoring young women. She taught all her children to be feminist and fought tirelessly for equal rights.

In 1999, Jeanne celebrated her 50th birthday in Hawaii. After all three of her children left home, she spent the fall in Provence, France to launch a new chapter in her life as a writer. Up to this point, Jeanne had never lived alone and she was ready for a new chapter in her life. When she returned, she began work remodeling her parent's cabin in Grand Lake, where she began living full-time in 2002.

During her time in Grand Lake, Jeanne served on the Boards of the Grand County Library and the Grand Lake Blues Society and organized several fall folk music festivals. She loved looking out at Shadow Mountain, watching the sun rise in the early morning from her deck. She would host yoga retreats, house concerts, and writing workshops there. Jeanne was a connector and community builder. Through her generosity, so many friends and loved ones had the chance to visit and enjoy the beautiful home on the lake.

In 2010, Jeanne's daughter Charmagne married her husband Jeremy in Grand Lake. They went on to have two children, Calla and Jasper. Brandon married Lena in 2012 and also had two children, Sylvia and Etta. Quinn married Sara in 2015. Jeanne loved her children and grandchildren deeply. She nurtured their unique talents and gifts, made space for them to follow their own paths, and supported them fully every step of the way.

In 2020, much of Grand County was burned in the Troublesome Wildfire, which was an incredibly traumatic and difficult time for Jeanne and the whole community. Her “cowboy” Jon lost his ranch and moved in with Jeanne. They lived together until 2024, when she made the decision to relocate back to Minnesota to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.

Jeanne spent her last few years living by the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. She enjoyed playing chess and cards with her grandchildren. She was an avid crossword puzzler and enjoyed walking around her neighborhood, attending plays at the Guthrie and was adjusting to her new city life. Sadly her time was cut much shorter than any of us could have imagined when she received her diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer in early March. The disease, already quite progressed, caused multiple blood clots. She took her last breaths on March 19th after spending several sweet days surrounded by her family and loved ones.

memorial service

Celebration of Life

May 1, 2026

Minneapolis Institute of Art 2400 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA

A celebration of Jeanne's life will be held in the Wells Fargo Community Room at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) at 2pm on Friday May 1st, followed by a reception on the patio of the atrium. Friends and family are invited to bring a flower in honor of Jeanne and in recognition of May day.