Jean G. Ruggles, 96, of Montauk, NY, passed away peacefully Sunday, September 1st, 2024. Jean is survived by her two grandsons, Matthew J. Lycke of Jupiter, FL and Ian H. Lycke of Knoxville, TN, who were the light of her life. She instilled in them the sense of adventure, friendship and good looks that Jean embodied so well.
Born on November 11th, 1927, in Bronx, NY, Jean enjoyed all that the growing city had to offer.
After graduating high school, she attended Adelphi College where she found her passion for education and honed her skills for a long career in teaching. She began teaching in the Pelham, NY school system. After a few years she decided Montauk was where she wanted to be and started teaching at the Montauk school, where she would teach until she retired in 1983.
Jean was blessed with a daughter, Pamela Kent Lycke, and raised her in Montauk. Pamela followed in her mother’s footsteps with a career in teaching until her untimely passing in 1995.
As a long-time member of the Montauk Community Church she was both an ordained Deacon and an ordained Ruling Elder. When able to, she enjoyed helping out with the Rummage sales.
Whether you knew Jean as a grandmother, a friend or as an educator you knew that she lived life with a kind heart and beautiful soul. She always made you feel comforted in her presence with her never ending positivity. Her entertaining stories of her worldly travels (and she touched every corner of the world) made you feel like you were on the trip with her sitting in the jeep on the safari in Africa or admiring Michaelangelo’s work at the Sistine Chapel.
Seeing the admiration she had for the people of Montauk was a joy to watch over the years. There was never a quick hello and see you later. She would always take an extra minute to stop and ask how you and your family were doing. In her mind, everyone was considered a friend, whether she just met you or you had known her forever. Her house was never empty; someone was always stopping by to say hello and talk with her or picking her up to make sure she never missed a party. And, the only thing sharper than her wit was her fashion sense. She had an outfit for every occasion and a dress for every dance. She was alway shining like a star and no doubt the life of every party.
As the founding member of her “Ladies of the Lawn” parties, she hosted a social circle in her front yard, where she and her friends would sit with a glass of wine and stories to tell or memories of the old days to recall. They drew the attention of the many who drove by-usually joining the party with a quick honk or a very clear “Grandma!!” shouted as they passed by.
She is also survived by her beloved cat, Abbey Tabby the Tabby Abbey cat. They were inseparable and never missed an episode of Judge Judy.
Her passion for living, her heart made of gold and all her love for Montauk made Jean a one of a kind individual and a true Montauk legend. We all are beyond lucky to call her a friend and my brother and I hold it in the highest esteem to have her as our grandmother. You made every day better. We all love you Jean.
