Jean Anderson Radford, 82, of Marengo, Illinois, died peacefully on March 8, 2026, surrounded by family at Journey Care Hospice in Barrington. Born in Neosho, Missouri on Nov. 21, 1943, to Olivia (Ratliff) and Roy G. Anderson, as a child, she lived on both coasts as her family followed her father’s Navy career. She attended St. Andrews College in North Carolina for her first two years of undergrad and met David while a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned a teaching degree, and after they graduated and married, she taught grade school for several years while he was in graduate school before devoting herself to being a mother to Liz, Katie, and Phil.
After living in Chapel Hill, Appleton, Wisconsin, and New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1976 the Radfords settled in Oak Park, close to the University of Illinois Chicago, where David spent the rest of his career. In the 1980s, she attended the Harrington School of Design in Chicago, where she earned a degree in interior design. She designed kitchens and bathrooms with the Von Dreele-Freerksen Construction Company of Oak Park for nearly 20 years.
After retirement, in 2011 Jean and David moved from Oak Park to Marengo, where Jean designed a farmhouse and then a barn, fulfilling her dream of owning a hobby farm. She thoroughly enjoyed taking care of their sheep, donkeys, and barn cats, as well as Cory, their third poodle. Many delightful hours were spent with her boarded horse Dolly.
She was very involved with Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park while they lived there. When they moved to Marengo, she became a member of St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock and joined the Altar Guild. She was a dedicated Rotarian in both Oak Park and Woodstock. As Woodstock Rotarian, she was devoted to distributing books to young children.
She was elegant, caring, graceful, funny, loved people and animals, and had impeccable taste. She was generous with her time and care, both within her family and helping those in need.
Jean is survived by her husband, David Radford; her daughter, Elizabeth Radford; her daughter, Katherine Ridgeway and spouse Jess; her son Philip Radford and spouse, Eileen Simpson; her granddaughter, Olivia Mae Radford; her niece, Sarah Petren; and her brother, Phillip Anderson and spouse Carolyn.
All gatherings in her honor will be held at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, 503 W. Jackson St., Woodstock, IL. A wake will be held on Friday, April 24, 5-7 p.m. A service will take place on Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m., with a reception immediately following in the Parish Hall.
She will be laid to rest in her hometown Neosho, Missouri later this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to: St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, Woodstock, and the Rotary Club of Woodstock.