Jean (Bingham) Humphrey

Negaunee

Jean Ellen (Bingham) Humphrey, 86, died January 9, 2015 at UP Health System Marquette in the presence of her loving family after a brief illness.

Jean was born November 25, 1928 to Marjorie Tellefsen and Burton Bingham in Birmingham, Michigan. After graduation from Olivet College in Michigan, she worked for the Bingham Insurance Agency in Detroit. She married Walter Hansen of Ishpeming in 1953 with whom she had three children, Karl, Helen, and Amy. She married William (Bill) Humphrey on June 22, 1968 and was his loving companion for 46 years.

Aside from her family, her greatest passion was cooking. By age 5 or 6, she had taught herself to make simple meals and by age 13 she was preparing full course dinners for her family and friends. Later, she gave cooking classes in her Negaunee home for years. Her students included her two daughters, her son-in-law, and her granddaughters Sarah and Rachael. She also published a popular newsletter devoted to French cooking, “The Stockpot”. In addition to French cooking, she was an expert in making cakes “from scratch” and gave individual and group lessons in that art. Her creative interests also included watercolor painting and pottery.

Jean was active in civic affairs, especially as co-founder and president of the Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council (PAAC), and as a leader in the United Way of Marquette County. She was also a volunteer literacy instructor with Community Schools.

In her free time, she loved the outdoors and enjoyed bird hunting and fishing. She was an expert with the fly rod and caught many a brookie both in the UP and in Ontario, where she and Bill spent a great deal of time at their rustic cabin. She also bagged such diverse species as lake trout in Michigan, silver (Coho) salmon in Alaska, bonefish in the Bahamas, redfish and snook in Florida, and tarpon in Costa Rica. She was a championship duplicate bridge player and enjoyed tennis and cross country skiing. In her youth she had a passion for horseback riding, which her granddaughter Emily continues. She enjoyed many happy times with her family at camp on Lake George.

She is survived by her devoted husband William; sister Margaret Godfrey; son Walter Karl Hansen of Saint Paul, Minnesota, daughters Helen Jean (Michael) Grossman of Negaunee and Amy Bingham Hansen of Wasilla, Alaska; grandchildren Sarah Jean Hansen (Per Olofsson) of Pune, India, Erik Galt Hansen of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Henry Alan Hansen of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Benjamin David Grossman of Columbus, Ohio, Rachael May Grossman of Portland, Oregon, Riley Warren McCorkell of Anchorage, Alaska, and Emily Bingham McCorkell of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; great-grandchildren Artemis Rose Hansen and Bellatrix Pearl Hansen of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Walter Elias Olof Hansen and Oscar Alexander Olof Hansen of Pune, India.

A Celebration of Jean’s Life will take place from 4-7 pm on Sunday, January 11th at Coco’s Restaurant, 911 Lake Shore Blvd., Marquette, MI 49855. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jean’s memory to the American Heart Association, the National Kidney Foundation, or the Jean Humphrey Memorial Scholarship for the Culinary Arts at Negaunee High School.

Mrs. Humphrey’s memorial page may be viewed at koskeyfuneralhome.com, where memories and condolences may be shared.

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