Jeannine grew up in a military family, and her early years were spent moving between Seattle, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Fort Monmouth, New Jersey with her parents Austin and Annette Foster. She graduated from West Seattle High School in 1944, and received a B.A. in Music and Education from the University of Washington. While at the UW she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority, and met her future husband of 67 years, Russ Nelson. Her dreams of becoming an opera singer were pleasantly changed by marriage to Russ. They moved to Vashon Island in the 1950s where they lived for 60 years on Quartermaster Harbor. Jeannine was an elementary school teacher, homemaker, expert seamstress, cook, and gardener. She enjoyed Square Dancing at an advanced level, singing with the Vashon Island Chorale, and volunteered for many years at Granny’s Attic. She was also a prolific poet, often writing poems for holidays and other special occasions. She is survived by her three children, Chris Nelson of Vashon, Mike Nelson (Rose Silloway) of Tacoma, Suzanne Miller (Mike) of Seattle, and grandchild Devin Miller.