Jeanne Nadean Leister

Jeanne Nadean Leister, age 85, of Greencastle, PA, passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at Brookview at Menno Haven Nursing Home. Born April 14, 1939, in Washington, DC., she was the daughter of William and Ruth Durning Woodruff.

Mrs. Leister was a 1957 graduate of Shenandoah Valley Academy, New Market, VA. Jeanne caught the eye of Clarence E. Leister while she was working in the cafeteria of the Review and Herald Publishing Association where Clarence was also employed as a mechanic. They wed on June 18, 1961, and resided in Takoma Park, MD. Jeanne was a homemaker and she and Clarence went on to have three children, Virginia, Paul and John. While raising her family she also took care of children in the home. After her kids were raised, she returned to the Review and Herald and worked as a secretary until her retirement in 1996. During this time the Review had relocated to Hagerstown, MD and ultimately Jeanne and Clarence settled in Greencastle, PA.

Jeanne was an accomplished piano player and enjoyed playing for church services and weddings at the Waynesboro SDA Church. At home you could find Jeanne putting together puzzles. The more complicated the better. You could always find fresh home-made cookies in the kitchen. Her chocolate chip cookies were amazing. Jeanne had a love for chocolate and you could always find a bag of Candy Kisses hidden in the freezer.

Surviving are her three children, Virginia Ferris of Burtonsville, MD, Paul B. Leister (wife Julie) of Greencastle, PA and John L. Leister of St. Thomas, PA.; four grandchildren, Ashley, Makaylyn, Noelle, and Alexander; and two great-grandchildren, Savanna and Scarlette. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence Leister and siblings, William, George and Claude “Reggie” Woodruff.

Services and interment will be private. Arrangements are entrusted to the Harold M. Zimmerman and Son Funeral Home, Inc., Greencastle, PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to: Autism Speaks (autismspeaks.org) or Shenandoah Valley Academy (shenandoahvalleyacademy.org)