Jean Irene Parise died on February 11, 2026, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, MN. Jean was born on January 18, 1944, in Cloquet to Walfrid and Aune (Wiita) Hill. Jean grew up in Brookston and graduated from AlBrook High School in 1962.  

Jean worked at various jobs before joining the Ruby Law Firm as their bookkeeper in 1975. She worked there for 35 years until her retirement in 2010.  

 Jean loved to read and sew, quilting, becoming her latest passion. She also loved listening to classic country music and lately to bluegrass. Jean was a grateful member of Al-Anon for the past 30 plus years, where she learned to live with Serenity One Day at a Time.  

 Jean met Gene Parise in 1993. He became her soul mate and best friend, and they were married on June 11, 1994. Jean and Gene traveled every year, mostly out west, first by motorcycle and then they began to go on Jeep trips to drive the mountain trails and go rock crawling. Their favorite place to go was Moab, Utah, having gone there about 18 times.  

 Jean was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Gary in 2022, a nephew and a great-grandchild. She is survived by her husband of 32 years, Gene; her son Rodney Wait (Tracey) of East Stroudsburg, PA, and her daughter Diana (Wait-Anderson) Poissant (Robert) of Duluth, MN. She is also survived by three grandsons and two special granddaughters, Amber (Elliott) and Abbie. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren and her sister-in-law Beverly Wiita of Neenah, WI, and two nephews.