Marilyn "Jean" (Bryant) Spence

Marilyn Jean Spence, 83, of Quitman, Texas, formerly of Keokuk, Iowa, passed away on Friday, March 12, 2021, at Whispering Pines.

Jean was born on January 8, 1938, in Keokuk, Iowa, the daughter of William Wayne and Mary Ellen (Mortimer) Bryant. She attended Keokuk High School and moved to Texas in 1992, where she was employed as a shipping coordinator and warehouse manager for SEI of Dallas until 2005. Jean enjoyed spending her free time cooking delicious food, especially her homemade noodles, sewing and remodeling her homes, but her passion was country dancing.

Jean is survived by three children: Crystal McPherson of Muskogee, Oklahoma, Daryl (Elaine) McPherson of Irving, Texas, and Douglas McPherson of Windsboro, Texas; five siblings: Wanda (Ivan) Daubenberger of Springdale, Arkansas, Larry (Connie) Bryant of Farmers Branch, Texas, Lonnie Bryant of Keokuk, Janice (William) Hayden of Kahoka, Missouri, and Kenny (Nita) Bryant of Pottsboro, Texas; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Jean is preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Melvin Bryant and infant Ernest Bryant, her grandsons Joshua McPherson and infant grandson Quintin Turley, her nieces Lyette Kensa Bryant and Connie Sue Jackson, and her nephew Lonnie Dean Bryant.

Jean’s life will be celebrated with a funeral service at 10 am on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at DeJong-Greaves-Printy Funeral Home in Keokuk, with burial to follow at Buena Vista Mound Cemetery in rural Keokuk. For those unable to attend, the funeral will be livestreamed on Jean’s obituary page at www.dejongsfuneralhome.com. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 17, from 4-8 pm, with family meeting friends from 6-8 pm at the funeral home.

Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society or the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Marilyn "Jean" (Bryant) Spence, please visit our floral store.