Jean Ann Stockdale

Jean Stockdale passed away peacefully on October 25th, 2025, after living with breast cancer for over two years. In sickness and in health, she remained fiercely dedicated to building a world of peace, justice, and radical generosity throughout her 74 years.

Jean was born on July 7th, 1951 as the second oldest of seven children born to Clyde and Mary Margaret Stockdale in Canton, Ohio’s Perry Township. As eldest daughter, she invented games for her siblings to play, emceed large family talent shows, and developed a deep interest in writing through her mentors in the Theater and English departments at Perry High School, where she graduated in 1969. Jean was an integral part of Great Trail Girl Scout camp in Minerva, Ohio, where she was a camper, counselor, and later Camp Director.

To put herself through college at Ohio State University, Jean took a job as a live-in nanny for two young children, Molly and Matthew, who became close with Jean’s family as well. Jean was a core part of the Gross family and moved with them to St. Louis, Missouri, and eventually Silver Spring, Maryland. She brought her passion for learning, reading, and fierce feminism to this family, as well as her deep care and love to their lives. In the D.C. area, Jean involved herself in the women’s liberation movement and other political struggles, offering her skills as a creative thinker and practical organizer. She learned from mentors who shared a vision for a world in which women and all people could self-determine their lives free from violence and oppression. Jean returned to Ohio in the mid 80’s to support a new family business selling her father Clyde’s original invention, the PolyVac. It was also during these years that she became a critical early supporter of the Canton chapter of Habitat for Humanity, creatively fundraising many thousands of dollars and bringing new volunteers into the young organization.

In 1990 Jean met Vladimir, a Ukrainian musician, through an ad in the Village Voice newspaper. After eloping to Boston with Vladimir’s bandmates, the couple moved to Canton, Ohio, to be close to the Stockdale family for the birth of their daughter Susanna. Jean and Vladimir both worked at Kinko’s copy shop, and were able to transfer within the company from Canton, Ohio to New Brunswick, NJ to be close to the music industry opportunities in NYC.

The family settled in Highland Park, New Jersey, where Jean joined a small congregation, the Reformed Church of Highland Park. Jean helped transform RCHP into a justice-focused, multi-racial, hope-inspired community, which not only worships God but seeks to follow in Jesus’s peace-loving way. Jean’s love for her community led to the founding of Who is my Neighbor? Inc. (WIMNI), which served Highland Park and Middlesex County through summer camps, after school programs, a community arts/concert series, a language bank project, and connecting local mutual aid efforts with global needs through bringing our town into material and political participation in the Fair Trade Movement.

Susanna (Suzy) was Jean’s trusted companion and accomplice through all of these endeavors, inspiring many of the projects that Jean dreamed up. Jean and Suzy teamed up to plan Camp Power Girls, the church Strawberry festival, sign-making for the weekly anti-war vigil on Main St. during the U.S. invasion of Iraq, running a Fair Trade store out of the church basement, and supporting the school band, choir, sports teams, and activities of her daughter’s generation of kids. While she nurtured Suzy’s own commitment to justice and community service, Jean always found time for fun with her daughter. Taking Suzy and her friends on local adventures, playing a game of scrabble, or being an enthusiastic audience member for Suzy’s rollerskating/hula hoop/comedy shows were mama Jean specialties. Jean was so proud of Suzy and loved to share updates and stories about her daughter’s life with everyone she met.

In 2010, Jean became the first director of Churches Improving Communities (CIC), which sought to deepen the role of faith communities in going beyond meeting just the spiritual needs of a parish, but meeting the political, economic, and social needs of a whole community. In this role she became connected to victims of human trafficking, and she spent the next (and last) 15 years of her life tirelessly advocating for individuals throughout the country who had been exploited by trafficking schemes. Jean founded the Still Waters Anti-Trafficking program and worked around the clock, literally, to bring these injustices to light and to break the chains that bound so many silenced and forgotten persons. WIMNI, CIC, Still Waters, and all the RCHP programs which continue to graciously and effectively serve people and families abused by harmful and predatory systems, may not exist without Jean Stockdale. 

Though Suzy was Jean’s only biological child, she had many dozens of children and grandchildren of the heart. In 2018, she adopted her son, Carlos. Their unique bond was a source of deep mutual joy, companionship, and support. Jean was deeply involved with the family life of her close friend and fellow radical social worker, Hadi, and his wife Alia. Jean adored Hadi and Alia’s three children and spent many delightful hours making puppet shows, art projects, and reading with Ayan, Haniya and Sariyah.

Jean was a mother to all, and she embraced that role seriously. She often had a coloring book or sticker book in her tote bag in case a kid needed something to do. One of her favorite things to do was buy toys for kids in her life. She was a true mother to the many adult clients and trafficking survivors to whom she dedicated so much love and care. Jean loved to encourage people’s dreams and goals, showing up again and again to offer someone a ride, take them to a medical appointment, help someone with a resume, attend a performance or a sports game, help them with a project or listen to something that was on their mind. She was an endless fount of blessings, and she was able to sustain that because giving radically wasn't a one-way street. As she poured herself out she was filled up. She gained new air in her lungs as a result of giving and receiving love.

Jean was a prolific and talented writer, penning everything from creative fiction to humorous, earnest letters to friends and family, to persuasive writing on behalf of clients in her unyielding pursuit of visas and work authorization paperwork for many hundreds of immigrants and refugees. She was a self-taught expert in immigration law—terrifying 'actual attorneys' with her willingness to take on ‘impossible cases. Jean did not like special attention or talk of her exceptionality. She simply believed in living into the answer to this question from Micah 6:8. “What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” Her deep generosity of spirit and the humility of her walk on this earth will remain a blessing and guiding force of good to all who knew her.

Jean’s memorial service will take place in the same building in which she spent so much time working, worshiping, dreaming, and organizing– the Reformed Church of Highland Park, on Saturday, November 1st, at 10:00 am. If you cannot attend in person, the service will be live streamed HERE.

In lieu of flowers, please give monetary donations in Jean’s name to support the Direct Client Assistance funds of RCHP-AHC. You can write checks to RCHP-AHC Memo: Jean Stockdale, DCA Funds, or, you can make an online donation at RCHP-AHC.org and select "area of greatest need" in the designation. Funds will support immigrants, refugees, victims of human trafficking and families struggling to pay their rent and meet basic needs. This kind of engagement was central to Jean’s life.