Jean Marie (Freeman) Borland

Jean Marie (“Jeannie”) Borland (Freeman), of Perrysburg, Ohio, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on August 24, 2021, while vacationing with her husband, Robb, at their summer home in Canada.

Jeannie was born May 25, 1943, in Olympia, Washington, to Herb Freeman and Dorothy Freeman (Duncan).  She grew up in the Seattle area, and attended several post-secondary institutions, before settling in Michigan with her first husband, Gene Young.  Jeannie taught elementary school at many levels in Michigan, and she and Gene had two wonderful children, Darren and Kelly.  She also provided adult education services and worked as a librarian at times, which fueled her interest in children’s literature and reading.

In 1993, Jeannie married her current husband, Robb, and moved to northwest Ohio, continuing her teaching career at R C Waters elementary school in Oak Harbor, specializing in reading.  Jeannie was noted for the dedication and enthusiasm that she brought to her profession every single day. 

At the time of her marriage to Robb, with his encouragement and that of her sister, Edieann, Jeannie also took up the sport of curling at the Bowling Green (Ohio) Curling Club, and immediately became a fervent and skilled player, as well as an exceptionally enthusiastic promoter of the game.  Jeannie ultimately played in three US national championships (a remarkable achievement, given the age that she took up the game), became president of the Bowling Green Curling Club in 1999, represented the United States on a friendship curling tour of Manitoba in 2006, and served as president of the US Women’s Curling Association in 2014-15.  Jeannie was already planning her activities for the upcoming curling season, and had participated in a USWCA Zoom call the night before she passed to help prepare for the upcoming Scotland women’s curling tour of the US.

Jeannie retired from teaching in 2003 when she and Robb moved to Kent, Ohio, and there she took up the arts of sewing and quilting, a passion she shared with her daughter and sisters.  She joined the Red Hat Society and the New Clevelanders, participating in many of their social and charitable activities.  She also became fascinated with hair color, and was well known and admired for her radical color schemes (purple, blue, and fuchsia were among her favorites).

In 2007, Jeannie and Robb purchased property on a lake in Canada, and ultimately built a beautiful off-the-grid log home where they spent as much time as possible (6 months minus a day) in the spring, summer, and fall months.  She had dedicated sewing rooms both there, and in the condominium to which they moved in Perrysburg, OH, after Robb’s retirement in 2019.  Jeannie also enjoyed swimming and kayaking at their lake home.

Above all else, Jeannie served as a role model and an inspiration for everyone who knew her.

Jeannie is survived by her husband, Robert Borland (“Robb”); two sisters, Cynthia (Marvin) Montini of Rocky Ford, Colorado, and Rosemary (Richard) Sevigny (“Toot”) of Grafton, North Dakota; and her two children, Darren (Nisreen) Young and Kelly (Mike) Andrews, both residing with their respective spouses in Canton, Michigan.  Darren and Kelly were the loves of her life, only rivaled by the pride and joy she felt for her four beautiful grandchildren:  Sydney Andrews, Tyler Andrews, Meeya Young, and Ian Young.  They were all very special to “Grammy”, and when she wasn’t at the lake or on the curling ice, she wanted to be with them.

Jeannie was preceded in death by her parents, Herb and Dorothy Freeman; her sister, Edieann Biesbrock-Didham; and her first husband, Gene Young.

There will not be a formal funeral.  However, a celebration of Jeannie’s life will be held at the Bowling Green Curling Club (19901 North Dixie Highway, Bowling Green, Ohio, 43402) on Saturday, September 18, 2021 from 2 pm to 6 pm.  The celebration will be very informal (more of an open house than a formal ceremony), although some remarks may be forthcoming from family and friends around 4 pm.  Due to COVID-19 concerns, the event will be largely held out-of-doors in an open-air tent, and guests are asked to please take all necessary precautions (appropriate social distancing, masks as necessary) to ensure a safe experience is had by all.  Individuals who elect to enter the building for any reason will be asked to wear face masks while in the building.  We will attempt to create a long duration Zoom call for individuals who might want to participate remotely (please contact the family directly if you would like more information for this).

In lieu of flowers or other similar considerations, the family asks that donations be made to either the United States Women’s Curling Association in Jeannie’s name, such donations to be earmarked for the development of club-level youth curling programs, or to the Reading is Fundamental (RiF) children’s literacy organization.

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