WELLS, Jean
Erma Jean Wells (Hall) was born in Fowler, Kansas on December 29, 1932 and died on May 17, 2020 in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 87. She was born during the Great Depression and grew up in the midst of the Dust Bowl in the southwest corner of Kansas. In 1934, her family moved 9 miles east to Minneola where the large Hall family lived. They moved to Wichita, Kansas at the start of World War II where Jean attended East Junior High School and began taking art lessons, learning to paint. She became quite accomplished in painting pictures in oil, pastels and water colors. She gave paintings to family members and some can be seen hanging in a number of households today.
When the War ended, the family purchased a farm in Colorado and moved to Colorado Springs. Jean attended Colorado Springs High School and during summers, worked on the family farm located 60 miles east. Jean married Mike Nanny in 1950, Dean was born in 1951. They divorced after Mike was discharged from the Army.
Jean met Paul Wells at the First Christian Church in Colorado Springs. They married and moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1953. Paul adopted Dean and gave him his name. Due to Paul's work as an engineer for the government, they lived for short periods of time in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Washington D C. For a number of years, Jean had a small upholstery business. She was always great at crafts and knitting. She knew how to fix mechanical things so well, she could have been an engineer. When Paul retired 1975 they moved to Tucson, Arizona where they lived out their retirement years.
In retirement, Jean and Paul were active members of the Summit Ridge Community Church, made many friends in the Tucson area and traveled frequently in their motor home, once as far away as Alaska.
Jean was predeceased by husband, Paul; her son, Dean and his wife, Sue. She is survived by her brother, Tom Hall (Linda); two granddaughters, Deanna Mancini (John) and Paulla Randall (Kyle); four grandchildren, Ashley, Dylan, Tony and Laura and seven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by 20 Hall cousins and several Miller cousins. Jean was a very friendly and kind-hearted person who will be sorely missed by her family and friends. Arrangements by ANGEL VALLEY FUNERAL HOME.
