Jean Helen Schwab Schork

A Life of Music, Family, Grace & Community

Jean Helen Schwab Schork of Westfield, N.J., died peacefully at the age 101. A lifelong musician, accomplished cook, devoted mother and grandmother, and active member of the Westfield community, Jean was known for her warmth, elegance, generosity and deep devotion to family and friends.

Born on Oct. 24, 1924, in Irvington, N.J., Jean was the daughter of Gilbert and Mae Schwab. She attended Florence Avenue School in Irvington and graduated from Irvington High School in 1942. She later attended Middlebury College, graduating early in October 1945 because of World War II.

Jean returned to Irvington after college and briefly worked in the office at Florence Avenue School before moving to New York City. There she worked as a passenger agent for Trans World Airlines at LaGuardia Airport and later in the Overseas Personnel Department at Standard Oil of New Jersey at Rockefeller Plaza.

She met her future husband, Leonard Schork, while vacationing at her aunt’s home at the Jersey Shore. The couple married on April 16, 1949, at the Second Reformed Church on Elmore Avenue in Irvington, with a reception at the Hotel Winfield Scott in Elizabeth, N.J. After honeymooning at Split Rock Lodge in Lake Harmony, Pa., they lived in West Orange and Irvington before settling in North Plainfield, where their children Bruce and Lynn were born. The family later moved to Westfield, where Jean lived for more than 70 years.

Jean especially loved spending time with her family at their summer home in Southport, Maine, purchased in 1976. There she enjoyed gardening, reading, boating, and sitting on the porch overlooking Boothbay Harbor, with views of Burnt Island Light and the wildlife she adored.

An accomplished gourmet cook, gardener, pianist and musician, Jean brought warmth and creativity to every part of her life. She was a longtime member of the singing group Chansonettes for more than 50 years, serving for many years as accompanist and director. At the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, she served as a children’s choir director, bell choir member and director, and active member of the church community. Friends and family will remember Jean for her elegant style, welcoming home, gracious spirit and lifelong love of music.

On the occasion of Jean’s 100th birthday on Oct. 24, 2024, the mayor, town council and citizens of Westfield honored her with a proclamation expressing their heartfelt congratulations and gratitude for her many contributions to the community.

Jean was predeceased by her husband, Leonard, in 2014, and by her son, Bruce, in 1991.

She is survived by her daughter, Lynn Schork and her partner, Rick Pond, of West Hartford, Conn.; her grandson Randy Schork and his wife, Brittany, of Winfield, Tenn.; her grandson Danny Schork and his wife, Madison, of Riverview, Fla.; and her great-grandchildren, Emmett and Chandler Schork.

A celebration of Jean’s life will take place on Monday July 13, 2026 12:00 pm at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield . Burial will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Center for Hope Hospice in Scotch Plains, N.J.; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; the Presbyterian Church in Westfield; or the Boothbay Region Land Trust in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.