Obituary of Jeanne Ann Posten

In loving memory of Jeanne Ann Posten (Nee Sieh) 10/11/1945 - 3/13/2024

Jeanne Posten, known to all as Ma’am, daughter to Herbert and Edna Sieh, beloved wife of Samuel Richard Posten Jr., mother of Samuel Richard Posten III and Leslie Jean Farrell, MIL to Leslie’s husband Ed Farrell, and grandmother to Ryan, Eddie and Katie Farrell, passed peacefully in her sleep this Wednesday while her favorite TV show, Survivor, was playing in the background.

Jeanne was a dental hygienist for over 30 years while simultaneously juggling homemaker and parenting duties.  She loved genealogy, elephants, traveling, spending time with her family and supporting the local community. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a Committee member for BSA Troop 22 in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, and a contributor to the fair and other activities of Navesink Hook and Ladder Fire Company, although she was never a formal member. 

Jeanne loved to travel, having visited Florida at least a dozen times to see Amzi Michael and Evie Posten and their daughters Tricia and Carly. She bobbed around the Caribbean on a handful of cruises, snuck into Yosemite once while it was closed, saw the magnificent sights of Alaska from a Zodiac boat, and went on safari in Africa so she could see her beloved elephants in the wild.  She also descended to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on a helicopter tour and loved every minute.

Jeanne loved her extended family and friends, and the Navesink villagers she grew up with.  She enjoyed spending Christmas and Thanksgiving with her husband, children, grandchildren, her brother and sister in law Herbert and Roberta Sieh, as well as friends and extended family. Christmas was always her favorite holiday, and she enjoyed decorating and spoiling everyone while displaying her many Joyce Beyer Carolers.  Jeanne also hosted many front porch crab parties, and served on dozens of Eagle Scout Boards of Reviews with “the Eagle ladies”.  She was the glue that held together caravans of Navesinkers heading to Disney World in overnight Cannonball Runs.  While she was never much of a sports enthusiast she eventually became a casual fan of the New York Yankees, surprising even herself.

Jeanne single handedly mapped out the entire Posten and Sieh families’ lineages back for hundreds of years.  She loved reading murder mysteries and watching TV shows including Jeopardy, Blue Bloods and especially Survivor. She was deathly afraid of heights, yet a proud survivor of Disney’s Tower of Terror.

Jeanne mended anything that needed fixing, and designed and sewed original children’s clothing and American Girl doll clothes. She was a gifted seamstress and used her talent and skills to repurpose dozens of wedding gowns into beautiful christening gowns to be treasured for generations to come. For a short time, she made and sold children’s clothes and christening gowns at local events, but nothing made her happier than making custom pieces for those she cherished. 

She was the caretaker of many beloved dogs and cats over the decades. She provided for many neighborhood pets who leaned on her soft heart for warm temporary housing and afternoon snacks. She had happy memories of her childhood pets through to her latest batch, even though Abbie decided she was going to be Pappy’s cuddle buddy.

Her heart grew ten times bigger when her grandchildren were born and she was overjoyed to see them grow into happy and successful young adults. 

A full mass service will be held at All Saints’ Memorial Episcopal Church in Navesink at 2PM on Sunday, March 24th, with a  reception and repass to be held at Navesink Hook and Ladder Fire Co. at approximately 3:30PM. All are welcome at either or both events.  In lieu of sending flowers please consider a gift in her name to Navesink Fire Co. #1, BSA Troop 22, the DAR, Wounded Warriors or the World Wildlife Foundation. A private burial service will be held sometime in the future, where she and Sam will be interred with her parents.