Jean Blanton Stein

On July 30, 2023, Jean Blanton Stein passed away peacefully surrounded by loving family members. She was born Jean Dulaney Blanton, on May 23, 1923, and was the daughter of the late Sen. Thomas Hunter Blanton and Blanche Broaddus Blanton of Bowling Green, VA.
She received her BA in foreign languages from her beloved Sweet Briar College in 1944 and while at home on break from Sweet Briar, she met her future husband and father of her children, the late Edward Stehl III who was an officer stationed at Camp (now Fort) A.P. Hill during World War II. She put her language skills to use in Washington, DC working as an interpreter for the State Dept in support of the war effort while her husband was attending law school at George Washington University.

Jean had so many interests and was in love with the world. She loved to travel and experienced many places on the globe. In her later life, she remarried Charles Stein, Jr., who became a beloved stepfather to her children. Together they traveled extensively keeping their family wondering where they would end up next. She was a lover of the arts and culture and the theater, often visiting museums and attending musical events. She was an early supporter and volunteer for mental health awareness, understanding its importance. She was also a health nut and an early advocate for the environment and social justice. In her many lives, she was a teacher of language, a real estate agent, and a very active member of her church, serving on ecumenical boards and deeply valuing her role as a Stephen Minister alongside her position assistant to the president at Wesley Theological Seminary.

One of her greatest loves other than the devotion to her family was her passion for the ocean and “Jeannemer”, her beloved beach house, where she would enjoy vacations by the sea with her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by a son, Edward Coulter Stehl, and a sister, Carol Blanton McCord.
Survivors include her four children and families: Dulaney Hunter Stehl, and her husband, Isaac Palomares Guillen, John Ashley Stehl and wife, Margaret Moss Stehl, Carol Blanton Stehl, and Catherine Stehl Jennings and husband David DeWitt Jennings. She also cherished her two grandchildren, Elizabeth Stehl Kleberg and her husband Matt Kleberg, John Lloyd Coulter Stehl, and great-grandsons Waylon and Wilder Kleberg.

The family extends their sincerest thanks to the staff, caregivers, and residents of Westminster at Lake Ridge for the loving sense of community that she felt in her almost 30 years as a resident.
A memorial service will be held in the Potomac Room at Westminster at Lake Ridge, Lake Ridge, VA on Sept 20, 2023, at 2 p.m. with a reception to follow. A private graveside service will be held at Lakewood Cemetery in Bowling Green, VA at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to Sweet Briar College, PO Box 1057, Sweet Briar, VA, The Westminster Ingleside Foundation, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)