Jeanne (Newsom) Challener, was born June 8, 1929, and passed away at age 96 on October 7, 2025.
Jeanne was born in Emporia, Kansas, grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and went to high school in Oberlin, OH. She attended Allegheny College and majored in psychology. While there, she met her future husband, Bill Challener. They married immediately after graduation and moved to Philadelphia, where her husband completed medical school. They spent two years in Massachusetts while her husband served as a physician in the Air Force. During this time, their first son was born. They then moved to Ann Arbor, where Bill completed his residency, and their second son was born. While in Ann Arbor, Jeanne attended church to hear a friend sing. Later, she attended a class before joining the church, and she was asked to sign her name that she believed the good news that Jesus had died for her sins. If she would trust Him as her Savior and Lord, she would join God’s family forever. She prayed to God and asked Him to save her. She became a believer, and Bill did shortly after. Her favorite Bible verse was Prov. 3:5-6:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
After completing residency, they moved to Summit, NJ, where their daughter was born. After one year, they moved to Murray Hill, NJ, and lived there for six years. Then they moved to St. Joseph, MO, where they became deeply involved in their church. They helped with the youth group, and Jeanne served as a deacon. After her last child started college, she went to the University of Missouri, Columbia to get a master’s degree in library science. She volunteered in the church library, the art museum board, the hospital auxiliaries, and a home for homeless children.
Her husband died an untimely death while they were living in St. Joseph. Eventually, she moved to be close to her oldest son and his family in Minnesota. Due to her son’s job relocation, she moved to Raleigh, NC to be close to her second son and his family. Finally, she moved into a retirement village near her daughter in St. Louis until her death. In this way, she was blessed to enjoy spending time with her grandchildren.
These were some of her favorite things: books by Phil Yancey; playing Big Boggle; flowers, especially gardenias, delphinium, and orchids; bluebirds; the color red; shortbread cookies or lime sherbet; sapphires and tourmaline gemstones; and Ann Arbor, MI. She enjoyed oil painting and painted many beautiful still life paintings and landscapes. Other hobbies were counted cross stitch, decorating, crossword puzzles, gardening, reading mysteries, and travel. She said her favorite gift she ever received was a xerox machine, and she kept that machine busy all the time! These are some of her favorite memories: going to the mountains and finding fossilized snails when she was eight years old; a Christmas family reunion at Big Bend, TX; another family reunion at Mammoth Cave; and her 70th birthday party when two of her friends secretly came to town and surprised her dressed up like they were birthday gifts with ribbons wrapped around them.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bill Challener, parents Carroll and Frances Newsom, sister-in-law Ellen Newsom, and grandson David C. Williams.
Jeanne is survived by three children: William Challener and wife Helen, David Challener and wife Donna, and Nancy Challener Williams and husband David. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Doug (wife Caitlin) of Minnesota, Greg Challener of Boston, MA, Tim Challener of Raleigh, NC; Stephen Challener of Raleigh, NC; and Stephen (wife Alayna) Williams of Murfreesboro, TN. She has two brothers: Walter Newsom and Jerry Newsom (wife Ann).
The family would like to thank the caregivers at Friendship Village who took care of Jeanne. A memorial service will be held at Friendship Village Chesterfield at 11:00 a.m. on November 5th.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Chesterfield Presbyterian Church or S2L (Spring 2 Life) in Woodbury, TN.
John 11:25-26 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”