Known as "Mme. Winnie," Winnie Easton-Jones studied French, developed French curriculums, and served as French teacher, tutor, translator, consultant, volunteer, and interpreter for nearly six decades. She designed French curriculums and taught students of diverse schools as a dedicated and enthusiastic French teacher and consultant until spring 2013, when she retired from the Penobscot School, Center for Language Learning and International Exchange in Rockland, Maine. Previously, she served as a French instructor at Five Town CSD Adult and Community Education in Rockport, Maine, for twelve years.  

Known for her charming wit and humor, Winnie awed and delighted colleagues,   students, and friends with her brilliant style of teaching and mentoring. She was known for her French phonics programs, quick perception and intelligence, and cheerful rapport with students. She possessed the gift and ability to teach to each student individually in a collective setting. To reach every kind of learner, she emphasized visual and audio learning. She abhorred learning by rote and standardized testing. 

Since the early 1950s, one of Winnie's greatest passions was learning and communicating in French as well as teaching and developing French curriculum and language programs. Following high school graduation, she enrolled in French academic studies at Hunter College in New York City, with seven years of study. Later, in France, she studied at The Alliance Française and served at the Department of the Army Civilian, under the DAC Lieutenant, as Executive Secretary Liaison/Translator and Coordinator for the Commanding Officer of the NATO base in Nancy, France, in diplomatic cooperation with French military officers. She returned to Paris during subsequent years and summers for a total of four years. Living around the corner from the Eiffel Tower, her two children, Douglas and Melissa Easton, attended Cours Marymount school in Neuilly, France, and summer camp at French Colonie de Vacance in Haute Savoie.  

Returning stateside, Winnie served with a French curriculum development team at the University of Pittsburgh French Department to supplement innovative French television language programs beamed to elementary schools in Pittsburgh. She was also responsible for organizing and conducting summer French Phonics Curriculum workshops for Pittsburgh elementary school teachers.

She continued French curriculum development in Illinois for the Latin School of Chicago, where she developed and taught a French program based on phonics and study of The Little Prince in French. She also developed French curriculums and taught in public schools in Price Georges County, Maryland, Washington D.C., and Jacksonville, Florida.  

Winnie served as consultant, volunteer, and supporter at Penobscot School in Rockland, Maine, since about the time the school was founded in 1986. In 2009, she joined the French faculty at Penobscot School, offering "Café au Lait" and "Key's to French," two popular French courses, and others, with a focus on phonics, conversation and culture for beginners, advanced beginners, and intermediate students to hone French pronunciation skills. Using French conversation and cultural references, she guided students to a goal of speaking French with ease. In her course descripton: "Through the use of phonics, I can give students the keys to sounding like a real French person. The effectiveness of a class meeting twice per week should not be underestimated. It's like sitting in a sidewalk cafe in Paris -- often with someone who has been there!" Winnie shared: "My students are joyful when they discover this missing link for visual learners." She believed that with a solid grounding in phonics, students could develop confident spoken French to be understood in situations abroad. 

Winnie's energetic teaching for excellence was evident in her ability to draw in students of all ages into French conversation and to elaborate on the nusances of French verb conjugations and grammar. Even in her last, and most difficult winter, when she ran out of heating fuel and slept in her car during a freezing night at one degree, Winnie cheerfully tutored students over coffee at the local Three Dog Cafe in Rockport, and volunteered as a member-worker at the Good Tern Coop in Rockland.      

Her teaching legacy continues in the personal and cultural experiences of her students, many who travel and live for extended periods in France and French speaking countires. In the French literary style of "stream of consciousness," Winnie's musings in and out of the classroom reflected extraordinarily keen insights and intellect, appreciation for French art and literature, and poetry of the heart.

Additionally, Winnie was devoted to artistic passions for art and writing. Reflecting multiple intelligences in arts and languages, she also possessed an avid appreciation for music, as well as musical gifts. She surprised her musician friends when her mezzo soprano voice reached high notes on perfect pitch and synchonized beautifully with a French aria during a visit to Bay Chamber School of Music in Rockport during her last winter. She was often heard humming or singing a tune in public and seen attending local church services in appreciation of sacred music as well as classic films and concerts. Her warm and vivacious personality and lively demeanor were well-received by her wide community of friends and students at numerous local venues, from her frequent visits to the Rockport and Rockland Public Libraries to two weekly classes at the Penobscot School.     

Winnie's family, extended family, friends, and students are welcome to post personal experiences, memories and photos at the Winnie Easton-Jones book of memories at www.forevermissed.com. 

In honor of Winnie Easton-Jones, donations may be made to:  

Penobscot School, 28 Gay St., Rockland, ME 04841; tel. 207.594.1084 

Friends of Rockport Public Library, One Limerock Street, PO Box 8, Rockport, Maine 04856-0008; tel. 207.236.3642

See obituary: Winifred A. Easton-Jones May 03, 2013   http://knox.villagesoup.com/p/winifred-a-easton-jones/997184#.UYa6lLU3urk

In her four score and thirty seven years, Winnie Easton-Jones embraced her family roots and values with a zest for living and joie-de-vivre as daughter, sister, mother, French teacher, life-long learner, goddess, aunt, great-aunt, life-long learner, lover, wife, hostess, mentor, diva, friend, social butterfly, artist, writer, cultural interpreter, coach, senior hipster, and more. 

Winifred "Winnie" A. Reitman was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, on June 11, 1935. She was the daughter of Daniel Reitman (b. 1890 in New Jersey) and Mollie Reitman (b. 1908 in New York). Winnie grew up on Mosholu Parkway South as a middle child, counseled in wisdom by her older brother, psychologist Walter R. Reitman, PhD (b. 1932) of Maryland, and entertained by her younger, "more pragmatic" sister, Marilou Lieman (b. 1940) of Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

In 1952, Winnie graduated from Evander Childs High School, a secondary public school located in The Bronx, New York City. Following graduation, she enrolled at Hunter College, New York City, studying French for seven years. Growing up near the New York Botanical Garden, she enjoyed frequent walks to the garden and trips to museums and city parks. She recalled, "Growing up in NYC, one of my favorite jaunts was up the waterway on the Hudson River Day Line." 

In the mid-1950s, Winnie met and married Columbia University law student and later tax attorney Edwin A. Easton (b. 1930; 2nd wife Daniele Thomas-Easton) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The two children of Winnie and Edwin are Douglas Everett Easton (b. 1963), travel connosieur, author, and managing partner at Celestielle Travel (with partner John Ziegler) of West Hollywood, California, and Melissa A. Easton (b. 1965), artist and blogger "Mrs. Easton" (married to Christopher Peacock) of Brooklyn, New York. 

Serving as a French translator, designing French curriculums, and teaching French classes for more than three decades, Winnie served hundreds of students as a devoted teacher until spring 2013, when she retired from Penobscot School, Center for Language Learning and International Exchange in Rockland, Maine. She served in five states designing French curriculums to inspire students to think and speak the  complicated French Romance language. In France, she worked under the Department of the Army Civilian as Translator for the Commanding Officer of the NATO base in Nancy, France, in diplomatic cooperation (See chapter "Mme. Winnie, Professeur de Francais"). 

In 1975, Winnie relocated to Rockport, Maine, with her two children following a failed first marriage. She met and married industrial artist, craftsman, and soulmate Howard G. Jones (1910-2002). Inspired by childhood visits to arts museums in New York City and mentored by her partner, Howard, as well as local artists, Winnie developed her arts abilities as a lanscape painter in Rockport. She participated in local art shows and arts events, including at community fundraisers. She invited local artists to teach fine arts classes at her B&B, including artist Kathy Finkel. From 1976-1998, Winnie and Howard delighted in"spoiling people rottener than they were" at their Sign of the Unicorn Bed & Breakfast on Beauchamp Point Road, Rockport, Maine. They embraced many community and sailing interests during years Howard served as Selectmen of the Town of Rockport and as a founding member of the Rockport Boat Club. (See note on Howard below).  

As both artist and writer, Winnie felt "the pull to paint ... always, always competing with the other passion [for writing]! Geminis can do both ... we don't have to choose!" As a certified Soleil Lifestory teacher, Winnie also taught memoir writing, edited individual lifestories and collections, and served as a ghostwriter. She shared her personal memoirs about Howard Jones in the book, Turning Memories Into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories by Denis Ledouxstory.

Throughout Winnie's precious, and sometimes burdened, journey in life, and evidently in her final days and weeks, her deep family and spiritual roots were the centering and living spirit of her actions and affirmations. In her last weeks and months, she demonstrated her intuitive ability to embrace family, friends, and students -- renewing past relationships as well as nurturing new friendships with everpresent love, caring, devotion, wit, and humor.    

Winnie's beloved Walter Howard Jones was a master craftsman, prototype model maker, and industrial designer. Born in Ohio, and relocated to Maine in 1947, he had a profound influence on the crafts movement. He attended Cleveland Art Institute in the 1930s, and created monogrammed pins and fashion accessories in wood for the Women's Exchanges during the Depression. He served as designer for General Motors in Detroit, creating prototype models for the armed services during the war. He and first wife and artist, Eleanor, had one son, Timothy Jones. He and second wife, Marjorie Hong, had three children: David L. Jones, Jeffrey J. Jones, and Mari (Lani) Jones Wolterstorff. 

Winnie's family, extended family, friends, and students are welcome to post personal experiences, memories and photos at the Winnie Easton-Jones book of memories at www.forevermissed.com. 

In honor of Winnie Easton-Jones, donations may be made to:  

Penobscot School, 28 Gay St., Rockland, ME 04841; tel. 207.594.1084 

Friends of Rockport Public Library 
One Limerock Street, PO Box 8, Rockport, Maine 04856-0008
Tel. 207.236.3642

See obituary: Winifred A. Easton-Jones May 03, 2013   http://knox.villagesoup.com/p/winifred-a-easton-jones/997184#.UYa6lLU3urk