Jeanna Fay Wise Blackman left this life on May 12, 2023, at the age of 75, in her home in Hallsville, Texas.

She was born about ten minutes after her twin sister-Joan, in Graham, Texas on December 16, 1947, to Jack and Jackie Wise.

In 1974, Jean married Bobby D. Blackman in DeBerry, TX, at the Methodist Church and together they built a life in East Texas for 48 years. When first moving to Elysian Fields, Jean and Bob owned and operated the Panola Cafe and Shape UP Beauty Salon. Jean later went into the porcelain doll business where she designed and created thousands of dolls that were collected by people all over the world.

After retiring from the doll business, Jean did not remain idle. She pursued her love of design and creativity and started quilting. Her goal was to leave a legacy and her loved ones enjoyed her labors of love. They will be reminded of her each time they snuggle under her quilts that will be passed down for generations to come. Jean was also a very talented cook and loved showering family and friends with tasty morsels. Her pies were mouthwatering, her Texas Sheet cake was scrumptious, her cornbread dressing was the best around, and her Texas Trash was iconic. When Jean gifted you with one of these items, it was hard to be kind and share. If you wanted it to last more than one sitting, you learned to disguise it and hide it. Jean shared though! She loved to share her recipes and love of cooking so she would work alongside you while you learned to make it.

Of all the fabulous things Jean did in her life, nothing topped being Mema; she enjoyed that the most! She spent countless hours, that quickly turned to years, at baseball practices and games to cheer her grandkids on. She made sure uniforms were clean and snacks were ready to make the trek to the ballpark. Mema always had everything ready and waiting for the family to rush through the door and load up. She gave of herself lovingly and freely and gained many "adopted" grandkids along the way as she had become a permanent fan along the fence at the ballpark.

Mema was the #1 fan of all things the grandkids did. She made trips across Texas to watch them play ball, perform in band or orchestra concerts, bring cookies to class parties, dress up with them at Halloween, bring lunch to school, give first haircuts, take to swim lessons, attend graduations, go on vacation with them, take endless photos but not be in them, celebrate their wedding, play a game of Sorry, build castles in the living room, create YaYa hats and roast marshmallows, have pool parties, never forget your birthday, celebrate birth announcements and gender reveals, and always have a favorite meal ready when they came to visit. Mema always provided a comfortable lap to climb into, loving arms for a lasting hug, a shoulder to lean on, ears to listen, a laugh to lighten the mood, and a beautiful smile to greet you. Using her words, "She loved US as big as the sky across Texas!"

As is a tale, so is a life; not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters and Jean lived a beautiful life. She left us with such lasting memories that can live on and are felt in the heart. How lucky are we to have such wonderful memories that make saying goodbye so hard?

Jean is preceded in death by her loving husband-Bob, her parents- Jack B. Wise, II and Annie Maude (Jackie) Murphy Wise, sister-Judie Rackley, and nephew-Kent Kalhoefer.

Jean is survived by her son, James (Jamie) Randall Alexander, II (Donna); grandsons, Jarad (Dariene) Alexander, Payton, Connor and Duncan Alexander; great-grandson, Walker Alexander all of Abilene; her daughter-Anna Lurline Alexander of Lake Lewisville; granddaughters, Kristina Durham of Garland, Victoria Lee of Phoenix, AZ; great grandchildren, Lisette (Jose) Juarez, Isaac Espinoza, Elianna Espinoza, Giovanni Durham, Adalynn Durham all of Garland, Serenity Alexander and Faith Lee of Phoenix, AZ; her siblings, Jan (Jerry) Hightower, Joan (Bobby) Kalhoefer, Jacque Griffith, and Trey (Celine) Wise along with numerous nieces and nephews, and countless lifelong friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, June 17, 2023, in the Chapel of Downs Funeral Home.