Jean Louise (Fiddes) Stebbins, 83, who passed away on December 25, 2024, was for 46 years the beloved wife of the late Edward C. “Ted” Stebbins, Jr.
Born in Warwick, she was the daughter of the late William M. and Annie (Parr) Fiddes. Jean noted “I had wonderful parents that made us work for what we wanted”. The sister of the late George and Gordon “Bruce” Fiddes, she is survived by several nieces and nephews and extended family.
Jean received both her undergraduate (’64) and master's degree (’81) at the University of Rhode Island where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority.
Jean was a teacher at Attleboro (Mass.) High School for 29 years. After her retirement, she went back to Warwick Veterans Memorial High School from 2001-2008 for a job mentoring and job shadow program. About those years and that experience, she made a note that, “this was great!”
A woman with many interests, she and Ted were for years season ticket holders for URI Rams Men’s Basketball and were supporters of the athletic program there as well. Education being a central element in their lives as teachers, Jean and Ted established an endowed scholarship fund at URI for the benefit of Rhode Island residents with the need of financial assistance.
She enjoyed working on Class Reunions with former classmates over several decades. Jean and Ted spent many happy summers with neighbors and friends in Cape Cod. She was an avid gardener and reader.
Very proud of her Scottish roots, Jean took several trips to Scotland in her later years to visit family she had discovered through genealogical research. After one of her visits, she had a bagpiping song named after her called “Jean Stebbins welcome to Bon Accord”. A loyal and true friend, Jean always had time for her friends and family.
Her funeral service will be held at Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home, 659 East Greenwich Avenue, West Warwick on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 9:00 – 10:00 immediately prior to the service. Her burial will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Providence.
Kindly omit flowers. Memorial donations may be made to the Edward and Jean Stebbins Endowed Scholarship, c/o the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881 or to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute – in memory of Jean Stebbins for ovarian cancer research and ANL Blood Cancer, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284.
Condolences may also be offered to her family and fond memories of Jean shared online at www.carpenterjenks.com.
