Obituary of Jeanne W. DiBattisto

With great sadness we share the loss of our loved one, Jeanne Whitehill DiBattisto, she passed on September 7, 2021, at the young age of 86.

Jeanne lived with conviction as an intelligent, strong, and beautiful woman. Never one to follow anyone else’s rules but her own. She was straightforward, spoke her mind, and was a vibrant force to be reckoned with; we always knew how she felt! She was also funny, strong-willed, and had an infectious laugh.

As a lover of numbers, she made her career as a bookkeeper for Sweet Life Foods from the late sixties through 1978 then as the Bursar for Renbrook School from 1978-1990. A position previously held by her mother, Virginia Greene Whitehill. After her retirement in 1990 she enjoyed volunteering her time to help people prepare their tax returns and served on the Finance Committee for the Methodist Church in Bradford, VT.

Jeanne was an accomplished pianist, organist, and vocalist. It was her greatest joy to play music and sing and had enjoyed singing with her high school and church choirs.

In her retirement years she took golf lessons and became an avid golfer. She and her husband, Gene, were members of the Lake Morey Golf Course in Vermont where she had a hole in one on the 17th green. She was a member of the Vermont State Women’s Golf Association and held the position of association treasurer before returning to Connecticut in 2018.

Jeanne was a talented and creative artist, her talents included sewing, crocheting, knitting, needlepoint, and painting. Our family prized possessions are the beautiful afghans she made. The love behind the mastery always made a beautiful piece of art… and kept her loved ones warm.

The most cherished part of Jeanne’s life was the love she found with her husband, Gene. They met as teenagers in the seventh grade while growing up in Manchester, CT. They often have told the story how they lived across from each other and would talk to each other from their bedroom windows. They have been inseparable ever since. Not long after high school, they married in 1955 and began their life’s journey. Through good times and bad times, laughter, fun, and an occasional argument, they got through life together.

Jeanne - daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, cousin, aunt, and friend joins her parents, Virginia Greene Whitehill and William Whitehill, and her beloved brother, Bruce Whitehill, and many family members and friends in the next life. Her loved ones still hanging out here on earth include her husband of 66 years, Gene DiBattisto, and their beloved dog, Abby; their four children, Lorri DiBattisto, Michael (Diane) DiBattisto, Andrew DiBattisto, Jennifer DiBattisto Caswell, with adopted daughter Carol Brennen and special friend, Dave Galdenzi; her grandchildren, Rachel, Sheryl, Nicole, Paige, Morgan, Samantha, and Michael; her great grandson Jackson and soon to be great grandson Baby Thornton; and her siblings and their families, Nancy Whitehill (Paul) Paslaski and James (Nicole) Whitehill; and her sisters-in-law Jennifer Whitehill and Marie Pechusick, both dear friends, and many nieces and nephews wishing her the best next life and will celebrate her next Spring at a private event.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Virginia G. Whitehill Staff Enrichment Fund, Renbrook School, 2865 Albany Avenue, West Hartford, CT, 06117.