Jean Barnett Stearns
Community Hero
In Paradise for Good – March 23, 2022
Jean Barnett Stearns lived to be 99 years old and spent the majority of her life as a Key West resident, having lived here since the early 1960s.
Born in 1922, Jean grew up in White Hall, Illinois, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1945. Along with her husband, noted jazz historian Marshall Stearns, Jean co-authored the book “Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance.”
Through her estate, Jean supported family and friends, along with multiple charitable organizations. In the Florida Keys she funded affordable housing and health care, hospice services, and the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.
Thank you, Jean, for Leaving a Legacy in Key West and the Florida Keys.