Jean Garland Treat, devoted wife and loving mother, passed away on June 2, 2015 surrounded by loved ones at her home in Yarmouth Port.  She was 89 years old.

Jean was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 20, 1925, the daughter of Mabel Florence Brannigan (nee Garland) and Frank Halliday Brannigan.  She was raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island by her mother and her beloved aunts, Anna, Mary and Gertie.  She graduated at the top of her class from Pawtucket West High School, and went on to earn a B.A. in Political Science in three years from Pembroke College, the prestigious women's division of Brown University.  

Following her graduation from Pembroke, Jean moved to Boston to pursue a career in retail, as a buyer for Jordan Marsh.  While living in Boston, she rekindled a friendship with an old college classmate.  Their friendship blossomed into a warm and loving relationship and, in November of 1950, she married C. Vincent Treat, the man she would forever refer to as the love of her life and best friend.  

Jean and Vin began their life together on Beacon Hill, while he completed his residency in internal medicine.  In 1953, they moved to Annapolis, Maryland so he could fulfill his military obligation as a Lieutenant in the Naval Medical Corps.  They returned to the Boston area in 1955, settling in Lexington, where Dr. Treat established his medical practice. Together, they welcomed five children to their family -- three sons and two daughters.  

Jean's devotion to her husband and children was legendary.  She loved being a wife and mother, a homemaker and a hostess.  She had a passion for cooking and an innate talent for entertaining.  Her tables were always impeccably set; her dishes beautifully prepared and presented. Whether whipping up confections worthy of a French bakery or experimenting with exotic international dishes, she never ceased to dazzle friends and family. Her creativity could make a meal more memorable and a holiday infinitely more magical.

Her spirit of adventure took her far and wide -- from extended family vacations on the Cape and Nantucket to week-long skiing trips in the fabled White Mountains.  She particularly loved traveling to more exotic islands and counted Andros, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, PEI and the US Virgin Islands among her favorites.

Jean was also a natural born storyteller, capable of captivating children and adults alike with tales real and imagined.  Her stories were always dramatic, punctuated with just the right amount of passion and eloquence -- not to mention a little Irish lilt.  She parlayed her love of storytelling onto paper, penning two children's books -- Jamie's Leprechaun and The Alphabet Book.

Jean Treat leaves a rich and storied legacy behind.  She also leaves her son Stephen and his son Alex; her daughter Suzanne Cooper and her daughter Darcy Cooper Quintana; her son Douglas and his wife Meike; her daughter Deborah Sargent and her husband Win and their children, Tory and Winthrop; and her son Stuart and his wife Chrissie and their children, Douglas and Richard; her "adopted" daughter, Leslie Evans; her loving and loyal caregiver, Norma Lewis; and countless cousins.

A memorial service honoring Jean will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 11:30 am, at Woodside Cemetery, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts. A luncheon for family and friends will follow at the Barnstable Tavern, Barnstable, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to share a special memory with them -- a memory that captures Jean's gentle spirit.  Donations in her honor may also be made to the National Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011, www.alz.org/donate, or the Visiting Nurses Association of Cape Cod, 434 Route 134,Building G, Suite 1, South Dennis, MA 02660, www.vnacapecod.org/hospice/php.    

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