Jennie grew up in Mapleton, Maine on a potato farm with three sisters and a brother. After graduation she moved a bit south and worked as a hostess at a family summer camp, and as a switchboard operator and then attended Gordon College where she met Bill who would eventually become her husband.
They were married on September 13, 1958.
While Bill attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Jennie worked as an inventory clerk at an auto parts warehouse. Jennie said they rented a room in a house owned by a lady who had a wonderful small dog.
Jennie’s strong and abiding faith led her through her whole life.
In 1960, Bill received his first call to Amity Presbyterian Church in Dravosburg, PA. Their daughter was born during their service at Amity. When Bill drove Jennie to the hospital, a policeman offered an escort and soon the whole church family was waiting in great anticipation. Jennie was very pleased to have a daughter. Her daughter, Laurel, was very pleased to have Jennie as her mother. The church family warmly embraced and supported the Jamieson family, and the family of three loved their church family.
In 1970, Bill and Jennie transferred to serve the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Evans City, PA, where they served for 28 years. Ben was born during the Evans City years. Laurel held her new brother in the car as they drove home from the hospital. Jennie was very pleased to have a son. Ben was very pleased to have Jennie as a mother.
Bill and Jennie nurtured and loved each other. They held hands when walking. They had a pop-up tent camper then a red trailer camper and spent weeks at a time together with Ben and Laurel and often with friends, then later just the two of them would head out for quiet times.
Jennie was very active in church and community life. She served as a room mother at Evans City Elementary and led a Cub Scout group. At church, she composed and directed many church plays, taught the high school Sunday school class and led the upper elementary Bible school class. She led crafting sessions where church members made Cherub shaped candles, curly sided candles and decorated t-shirts and sweat shirts with iron-ons and glittery fabric glue. She traveled along with the summer church canoe trip, and instigated church group trips to Branson. Many summers one would find her chatting merrily with visitors in the church yard on Main street, while selling donated goods, flea market style, to support the church softball team. Jennie and the whole family are deeply grateful for the love and support of the Westminster church family.
Laurel remembers sitting in the back of the car as Mom practiced driving skills at the high school’s driving range. Now that her life goal of having children was accomplished, it was time to work on dream 2. She always wanted to be a nurse. Re-establishing her drivers licence was the first step. As her children attended school, she attended Butler County Community College, taking Anatomy and Physiology her first year, then completing her L.P.N. degree the next year. She received a perfect score on the LPN license exam. After some time in private duty nursing, she joined the nursing family at St. John’s Specialty Care Center (nursing home) in Mars. Jennie loved the work and the residents. She provided loving and compassionate care to the patients and facilitated a cheerful tone among the aides who assisted her. Many new nurses were assigned to train under Jennie’s care, since she was so organized, thoughtful, kind and supportive to both patients and staff. Jennie shifts were full of joy and love and occasional giggles. (Well, frequent giggles.)
Because Jennie was mirthful. She was a giggler. She embraced life. She was quiet but strong. She was gentle but determined. She faced hardships and overcame them. She paid attention to her family and helped in countless ways, which meant she helped countless people because everyone was her family. Everyone in the whole extended neighborhood was loved.
Not just the humans, either. She was magic with animals. Birds and butterflies landed on her. She rescued baby bunnies, keeping them in a box by the fridge and fed them with an eye dropper. One Easter-time, she borrowed baby turkeys from the turkey farm so that Ben and Laurel could enjoy them too.
When Bill retired, they moved north and attended Covenant Presbyterian Church in Butler. There, she served in many ways, including working on the annual rummage sale. When they moved to Zelienople’s Abundant Life Center, she crocheted sleeping mats for the homeless shelter and shared her love there too. She also shared her mirth for many years with her co-workers at the election precinct in Meridian Firehall.
Jennie welcomed her children’s friends as family too, and showered them with love. She maintained close relations with her nieces and siblings. Martin, Erica and Stuart, her grandchildren, remember giggles and craft projects and lots of affection. Jennie cared for Martin and Erica after school for several years. Jennie made wonderful Halloween costumes too. If she saw a need, she met it.
She will be sorely missed, but her fine example of care, love, compassion, nurturing, and strength lives on in those who knew her and benefited from her generous spirit and faith. We know she will be met at Heaven's gates by all her pet cats she loved throughout her life.
Jennie is survived by her husband, Bill; children Laurel (Roger) Lohrey & Benjamin (Jennifer) Jamieson; grandchildren Stuart Lohrey, Erica Jamieson & Martin Zanicky; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Her 3 sisters, Esther, Phyllis (Leighton) and Bonnie, and her brother Malcolm (Ruth) preceded her.
Friends and relatives of Jennie E. Higgins Jamieson will be received from 5-7 P.M. Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at the A. Carl Kinsey-Ronald N. Volz Funeral Home, Evans City. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday October 2, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. from the Westminster United Presbyterian Church, Evans City with Rev. Lauren Bosserman Pastor of Westminster United Presbyterian Church officiating.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Jennie's memory to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 330 E. Main Street, Evans City, PA 16033 or Butler County Community College, Attn: Jennie Jamieson scholarship fund, 107 College Drive, Butler, PA 16001.
