Jean Louise Englund (née Robillard) passed away early in the morning on Monday, May 15, 2017, after an extremely brief battle with cancer.  As in her life, she was surrounded by many loving family members and friends throughout her battle.  Her faith in God gave her great strength, and her penchant for seeing the good in any situation led her to look forward to seeing those in heaven she dearly missed rather than dwelling on the life she would be losing on Earth.

Born to Louis “Tony” and Mildred “Millie” (LaComb) Robillard on January 6, 1944, Jean was raised in Kenosha.  She attended St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Catholic schools while growing up.  Shortly after graduating from high school, Jean married Danny Englund and embarked on a life of travel, living in Louisiana, Germany, and Colorado.  Though they later divorced, Jean was able to travel extensively throughout Europe and the United States while married, and was always up for a new adventure.  A few of her last trips were to Hawaii with her lifelong friend, Angela Gemignani, the road trip she took with her brother Jim to move back to Kenosha in May of 2016, and trips to Green Bay with her family to pick apples, watch her great niece and nephew play at Bay Beach Park, and visit Lambeau Field.

Jean lived in picturesque Canon City, Colorado for nearly three decades.  She worked at Fremont National Bank before discovering her passion for libraries and joining the staff of the Canon City Public Library.  Jean loved living in Colorado, and particularly enjoyed the friends she made there as well as the gorgeous scenery.  As much as she loved it there, she missed the family and friends (who were like family) she has in Kenosha.  Upon retirement, Jean moved home to be closer to them.

Jean was fortunate to have remained active with her favorite activities up to the very end.  She was lucky to enjoy many hobbies throughout her life, and was a natural talent who excelled at many things.  She was an avid bowler for many years, a devoted volunteer for many organizations, and an exceptional needlepoint artist.  Jean was a devout Catholic and a fervent Packers fan, whose passionate support of the team knew no equal (until they traded Brett Favre- she needed some time to forgive them for that).  Like many others, Jean also took great joy from meals with friends and visits with family, as well as shopping, playing cards, and reading.  She returned to Kenosha every year for reunions with her friends “The Animals,” as well as family reunions in Wisconsin and Michigan.

She is survived by her brother, James “Jim” (Jan) Robillard; her niece, Amanda (Joseph Wroblewski) Robillard and nephew, Eric (Rebecca Gunderson) Robillard; her great-niece, Adelyn Robillard and great-nephews, James Robillard, Maxwell Wroblewski, and Alexander “Red” Wroblewski; many exceptionally close cousins; and her lifelong friends “The Animals”. Jean was preceded in death by her father, Tony and her mother, Millie, as well as her brother, Charles “Charlie” Robillard.

Service Info

Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 19, 2017. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church, 7300-39th Avenue. A private entombment of her cremated remains will be held in All Saints Mausoleum in Pleasant Prairie at a later date.