Jeanne Florence Petry

Jeanne Florence Petry (née Wieczoreck), age 96, of Cape Canaveral, Florida and Freehold, New Jersey, was surrounded by her loving family as she passed beyond the veil on June 30, 2026. Jeanne was born in Bogota, New Jersey on January 24, 1930, to Theodore Clement and Jeanne Louise (Wermelinger) Wieczorek.

Jeanne grew up with her brother, best friend, and dance partner, Ted in Maywood, New Jersey, dancing her way through elementary and high school. Her specialty was tap dance, and she continued tapping most of her life. Jeanne graduated from Bogota High School in 1947 and began commuting by train with her father to New York City. She worked as an executive secretary for Sylvania in the RCA Building at 30 Rockefeller Center.

Jeanne loved big bands and swing bands, especially the Glenn Miller band, after whom she named her first son. Jeanne spent her time working in NYC by day, dancing by night, until one fateful blind date, where she met the love of her life, Gordon Petry, known to family and friends as Dun.

Jeanne and Dun married in 1959. Their first child, Kathleen (Kathy) was born, followed by another daughter, Mary Jeanne. This is when Jeanne and Dun decided to move from North Jersey to Freehold, where they would live for many years and raise their growing family, Glenn and Robert (Bobby). Jeanne loved to crochet and sew, in fact, she designed and sewed her wedding gown and Halloween costumes galore. Jeanne loved to cook, can fruit and vegetables, and collect plastic bags.

Jeanne and her family enjoyed many adventures to local historical sites, the shore, and Great Adventure. The family loved to travel, mostly in the Country Squire station wagon, with trips to Sandy Hook, Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach Florida, Disney World, Universal, Sea World, Wet n’ Wild, camping in the Narrows and Mother Bunch in Lake George, NY with the Petry Clan, houseboating in the Thousand Islands, the Dakotas, the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Bedrock City, Deadwood, and every single fort along the way. Jeanne traveled to Thailand and Hong Kong with her beloved mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Jeanne and Dun traveled to Bermuda, in the height of Bermuda Triangle theories, which really terrified her children, and cruises to Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Preceding Jeanne in death are her husband, Gordon (Dun); her parents Theodore and Jeanne Wieczoreck; her brother and sister-in-law, Theodore (Ted) and Edith Wieczoreck, a niece, Karen Wieczoreck, and a nephew, Michael Wieczoreck. She is survived by her children: Kathleen (John) Neggia, Mary Jeanne (Anthony) Farrell, Glenn Petry, and Robert (Stacy) Petry; her grandchildren: Nicole (Chris), Marc, Kiana, Mikaela, Kristina (Ben), Matthew, Michael, Kyle, Gordon, Dan, and Griffin; her great grandchildren: Milo, Kailee, Charley, Ridge, and Meek.

Jeanne was a truly remarkable, selfless, and strong woman. She loved her family and the beach. She enjoyed walking on the beach and collecting seashells with her grandchildren and teaching every child she encountered in a pool how to dive. She enjoyed traveling, and of course, she loved dancing. She continued to dance and perform with the Golden Steppers until the age of 82, but her preferred stage was always her kitchen floor. Jeanne was generous with her love and time. Her smile was truly unforgettable, as she was, and we know that she will be dancing with Dun on starlight forever”

There will be a private, family-only service at sea, where the waves will carry Jeanne home to Dun. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Plastic Bag Foundation (just kidding), the American Heart Association or the Surfrider Foundation.