You may have seen Jean Margaret Johnson and Nanette Marie Goupil enjoying the annual Danish Festival or at the local garden center, loading bags of soil and supplies into their pickup truck. The two women visited the theater from time to time, while Sundays would see  the devout Catholics attending Mass at  St. Charles Borromeo Parish. In many ways, Jean and Nanette were like anyone else  in Greenville, Michigan, the small city to which they’d retired. But if their lives were relatively modest, the women’s impact was — and continues to be — anything but.

Former military officers, nurses, and educators, the best friends spent their lives in service to their country and to others, touching the lives of countless service members, patients, and students. They transformed selfless lives into a selfless legacy when they left the entirety of  their combined estate to the St. Charles  Educational Fund, a permanent  endowment with the Catholic Foundation of West Michigan for the St. Charles  Borromeo School.

“Their shared goal was helping others,” said Mike Lennon, a longtime friend to both women and executor of Jean’s  estate. “They sought to teach and support the community, and their final gift was giving their resources to someone else  who needs it.”

Furthering Catholic Education
Specifically, their house, property, and cash assets were left to the school’s endowment, providing tuition assistance to families in need and supporting the general operation of the school. This fund not only provides a Catholic education to children but will also ensure that Catholic education itself  can continue in the area — a big deal for  a Catholic school in a mostly rural setting.

“Our school community will be  forever grateful for Jean and Nanette’s deep affection for Catholic school  education,” said Tonya Saladin, principal  of St. Charles. “Their bequest leaves  a legacy that will support our families  and sustain our work into the future.”

Forming relationships in the community was important to both of them. “They hired one young man to work in their garden with them when they needed support as they got older,” Mike remembered. Also, “One of the bequests in the will had all of their music collection and stereo system sent to an old friend.”

Gardening and music were important to both women, who’d originally met while they were in the military. Both attained the rank of lieutenant colonel — Jean in the Army and Nanette in the Air Force. Both were nurses, working and teaching at a range of military and other hospitals and medical centers. Both also earned PhDs, perhaps incredibly given the challenges of their military schedules and the decades in which they lived (Jean was born in 1935, Nanette in 1941). Jean earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the  University of Washington and Nanette earned a doctorate in educational  administration from the University of  Wisconsin. There’s no question they  were driven, focused individuals.

A History of Service
Jean, a Chicago native, attended Catholic grade and high schools. After attending St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, she joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1959 as a first lieutenant pediatric nurse. From there, she worked as a nurse, recruiter, professor, and author, earning awards and commendations and rising through the Army ranks along the way.

Similarly, Nanette ascended the ranks as an acute care nurse, research designer and analyst, writer, trainer, and manager for the Air Force, in addition to working for several universities and top corporations. 

Each lived life focused on her job, and so when their careers were over, both women found themselves relatively alone.

“Neither married. No kids,” Mike  explained. “They were both getting ready to retire and thought, ‘What are we going to do?’”

Rather than grow old alone, they  decided to move to Greenville together. This was a logical choice because Nanette was born and raised in nearby Grand  Rapids, they liked the weather, and they found a strong Catholic community that fit their commitment to faith. After a lifetime  focused on service, they found a place where they could relax — even if they didn’t exactly.

Mike said both women maintained  offices and did their best to keep up in their professional fields. They were also active in the Greenville community,  volunteering at museums and health clinics and participating in community events.

Quiet Generosity
“They were very busy people,” Mike said. “I think part of that was the military. You don’t get to be a lieutenant colonel by sitting on your hands. Also, being educators, you get into that ‘publish or perish’ mentality that college instructors have.” They did have fun, of course. Nanette played saxophone in a local band with Mike’s wife; it’s how he met Nanette. And they enjoyed gardening, both earning certifications as Master  Gardeners. They adopted several rescue dogs, took meticulous care of their home and property, and were beloved faces in their community.

Above it all, Mike said, they were strong in their faith. In addition to being regulars at the parish, “I never went into their house and EWTN wasn’t on,” Mike said, referring to the round-the-clock Eternal Word  Television Network. “The daily Mass on EWTN, you could be visiting but Jean would pay attention to Mass. ‘Mass is  starting; be quiet!’ she’d say. It was always that way.”

For all of the friends and neighbors who knew them, and for all of the lives they touched, their greatest impact might be yet to come via the students and community that will benefit from their final gift.

As Mike said, “They both felt that their work and their merits stood on what you observed. They both wanted minimal funerals, no headstones, and private burials. At Jean’s funeral, there were 25 people — probably 24 more than she wanted. They’d done their thing, and that was it. They weren’t about being ostentatious or putting up a monument. In that regard, they  were simple people; they didn’t expect  notoriety, and they didn’t want it.”

“What they did, they did privately,  quietly. They were kind, gentle people who cared about their friends and companions. Their final legacy is that their last dime is going to help others.”

The Catholic Foundation is honored to recognize Jean and Nanette’s impact through the Light of Christ Legacy Society. If you are interested in following their path of generosity, learn more about the Legacy Society at cfwmlegacy.org.