Obituary of Jean Price

Jean E. Price, 82, of Pocono Summit, died on September 10, 2013 at Praxis Alzheimer's Facility. Born in East Stroudsburg, she was the daughter of the late Louis and Gladys (Coslar) Livellara. Most of Jean's life was devoted to raising her three children. An ever-present mother, her children always started the day with a hot breakfast before school, packed lunches, and a dinner on the table at night. They never came home to an empty house. Even as her children became adults, they remained her primary focus. She would do anything for her children and grandchildren, with no questions asked. Jean preferred to live simply and go without, saving her money so that she could provide for her children even after she was gone. Being a very independent woman, she was always determined to be self-sufficient and was proud of her ability to fix most anything around her home. It wasn't important to her whether the problem was fixed properly, only that she had taken care of it without asking anyone for help. Jean was an extremely talented seamstress. Over the years she had sewn most of the clothes for her children and grandchildren, including beautifully crocheted baby layettes, blankets and doll clothes. She was also proficient in hand-smocking, crewel, cross-stitch, knitting and embroidery. She is retired from Moritz Embroidery Works, having received accolades for the many banners she made for local organizations. Many years ago, Jean started showing the beginning signs of dementia. More than the disease itself, she hated that she would eventually be a burden upon her children. She forced herself to continue her independence as long as she was able; placing sticky notes throughout her house she hoped to remind herself of her daily tasks. Due to her family's reciprocal devotion to her, Jean was able to remain at home for many years before it was necessary to move her into a full time care facility. Her daughter Valerie moved in with her fulltime, and the rest of her family, along with her devoted caregiver, Nita Dougert, returned the many favors and this time were the caregivers of Jean. Although more days than not, she could not recall her family's names or faces, what never wavered was her recognition of her two cats, Buddy and Shadow, who remained a constant fixture at her side. Even as the dementia stole her memory from her, she maintained her devotion to her animals along with her love of all creatures. Every year she would hand-make dozens of Christmas gifts for the homeless kitties at the local shelters. Jean is survived by her son: Todd Price and his companion, Peggy Chirico, of Canadensis; daughters: Dawn Urgaris and her husband, Donald of Pocono Pines and Valerie Price of Greentown; four grandchildren: Eric Price, Amanda Urgaris, Clayton Price and Lora Urgaris; three great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and ex-husband Douglas Price of Canadensis. Services will be private. In the blessed memory of Jean Price, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Greater Pennsylvania Chapter, 57 N. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701, or your local animal shelter, AWSOM. Cremation services were entrusted to Bolock Funeral Home and Crematory Inc., 6148 Paradise Valley Road, Cresco, PA 18326