Jean B. Herr

Jean Herr (Age 87), beloved mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, passed away on Friday, June 16, 2017. Born on October 30, 1929, in Andover, MA, Jean lived the majority of her life in the Manassas, VA area. She was preceded in death by her parents, George M. Ballantyne and Helen T. (Carroll) Ballantyne, and brother, George C. Ballantyne. Jean devoted her life to her family, her faith and her community, and was loved by all who knew her, especially her five children. Jean was their teacher, counselor, advisor, coach, chauffeur, driving instructor, cheerleader, match-maker, family historian, spiritual leader and prayer warrior, and she passed on to them her Scotch-Irish heritage, her love of God and deep Catholic faith.
Jean also was a pillar of the Manassas community. A member of All Saints Catholic Church since 1955, she helped plan, organize and support the building and expansion of the church on Stonewall Road. She helped raise money to build Prince William Hospital, served as the first President of the Manassas Park PTA, established the Manassas Park-Yorkshire Little League and the Manassas Park Fourth of July Parade. More recently, Jean organized happy hours and began the annual St. Patrick’s Day gathering at her condominium building for her friends and neighbors. Always the life of the party, Jean loved to laugh and was quick with a joke or a story, enjoyed winning card games, dominoes and Trivial Pursuit, and she dearly loved dancing, any style – line, tap, swing, jitterbug and Jazzercise.
Matriarch of her loving family, Jean is survived by her children: sons Charles and wife Jackie; Bill and wife Terri; George and wife Roxanne; daughters Ellen (Herr) Guptill and husband Brian; Patsy (Herr) Fullerton and husband Sam; 15 grandchildren Andy Herr, Carroll Herr, David Herr, Scott Guptill, Jean (Guptill) Anderson, Shannon Dempsey, Erin (Fullerton) Tracy, Sam Fullerton, Alison (Fullerton) Duncavage, Ryan Herr, Meghan Herr, Shane Herr, Brady Herr, George Herr, Jr., and Kelly Herr; 11 great-grandchildren Elle, Aidan and Andrew Herr; Miranda and Patrick Salgado; Kelly and Caitlin Anderson; Zoe Zimmer, Dryden Dempsey, Rachel and Jake Tracy, and many dear friends.
The family will receive friends Wednesday, June 21, 2017, 6-8 PM at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas, VA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, June 22, 10 AM, at All Saints Catholic Church, 9300 Stonewall Road, Manassas, VA, followed by interment at Stonewall Memory Gardens, 12004 Lee Highway, Manassas, VA.
Flowers or a donation to Catholic Charities are welcome expressions of sympathy.