Jean Soares
Jean Soares, a beloved resident of Concord, California, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2025. She was born on November 12, 1938, in San Jose, California.
Jean graduated from Bishop ODowd High School in Oakland in 1956. After high school, she held various clerical positions while attending community college and even returned to her alma mater to coach girls basketballan early testament to her lifelong love of sports.
Her professional career spanned over 40 years in employee benefits with Contra Costa County, where she rose to the position of Employee Benefits Manager before retiring. Jean was known for her dedication, integrity, and the care she showed to colleagues and employees alike.
In retirement, she became an active member of both the Pleasant Hill and Martinez Senior Centers. She treasured the friendships she made and enjoyed many trips and social outings with her circle of dear friends.
Jeans passion for sports never wavered. In her younger years, she played on a Womens Fast Pitch Softball team, the Redwood City Jets, who earned second place in the World Softball Championship in Connecticut. She also played on other teams and was an avid bowler. Jean was a devoted fan of the Oakland Raiders (while they were in Oakland), the Oakland As, the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, and of course, the Golden State Warriors, whose games she rarely missed.
Though Jean never married, she was a loving and nurturing presence to many. She is survived by her three sistersMyrna, Ellen, and Carolynand held the cherished role of matriarch to the Soares, Fraga, Dutra, and Johnson families. She helped raise her dear friend Fran Johnsons three childrenAndy, Al, and Signeand doted on her twin grandsons, Trevor and Justin, who brought her immense joy. Jean delighted in spoiling her many nieces and nephews and lit up whenever she saw or heard from them.
In her final months, she was lovingly supported by two of her longtime friends, Virginia and Carol, whose companionship and care meant the world to her and to her family.
Jean Soares was a woman of strength, generosity, and boundless love. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who had the honor of knowing her.
A funeral service will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 860 Oak Grove Rd, Concord, CA 94518, at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jeans memory may be made to:
Guide Dogs for the Blind
P.O. Box 151200, San Rafael, CA 94915-1200
800-295-5050
or
An Elderly Wish Foundation
925-978-1883 | elderlywish.org