Jeanne W. Yozell
Yozell, Jeanne Wolf of Weston, Massachusetts, and Warren, Vermont, died peacefully at her home in Warren with family by her side on December 25, 2024, at the age of 96.
In 1969 Jeanne met Carol Lippincott at a cocktail party in Massachusetts; Carol was seeking a family to share her ski house with, and Jeanne wanted a new challenging mountain where her children could ski. The rest is history, a lifelong bond with the Lippincott/Rickard’s and the Mad River Valley. Jeanne and Peter went on to build their family home in Warren in 1973. Jeanne loved The Valley; her friendships spanned generations, young and old, and her home was always open to visitors. A lover of nature, animals, people, art and music, Jeanne was happiest riding her horses with friends at Knoll Farm and later with Harriet King. She loved to hike and ski and never missed Warren’s Fourth of July parade where her son Jimmy played music on The Warren Store porch for almost 40 years.
The day before she passed, she sat looking out at the fields and mountains commenting on how lucky she was to be in Vermont enjoying the stillness and serenity of the snow, “just like a painting.”
Jeanne was engaged in numerous progressive and social causes: civil rights, women’s rights, environmental rights and anti-war, dating back to the 1960s. She cared deeply about people, was an optimist and had a positive impact on the lives of so many, particularly as a mentor to women and young girls.
She graduated from Newton High School in 1946 and Connecticut College in 1950. She received a master’s from the Simmons School of Social Work in 1966. Her education was followed by a brilliant career helping others. She was the first executive director of the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and continued to support the organization. Throughout her lengthy career, she led and developed social service and mental health programs, taught graduate school, and had a vibrant private practice in clinical therapy until her retirement at age 90. She was the ultimate in balancing career, family and fun.
Jeanne married Peter Sheldon Yozell in 1953, and together they had four surviving children: Emily Yozell (and Enrique Pucci) of Costa Rica, John (and Abby) Yozell of Boston, James Yozell (and Nivia Freitas) of Colorado, and Sally Yozell (and David Anderson) of Washington DC, as well as grandchildren Esme, Peter and Niko Yozell, Pablo and Giovanna Pucci, Nathan Anderson and Victoria Moylan.
Services will be held at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline, Massachusetts, on January 15, 2025, at 11 a.m. Interment is at Linwood Cemetery, 180 Boston Post Road Bypass, Weston. Memorial observance at the family home in Weston following the burial through 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, 20 Park Plaza #1420, Boston 02116 and the ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts, One Center Plaza, Suite 850, Boston, 02108.
