Jean Esther Fleming

Jean Esther Anderson Fleming passed away at her home in Prince Frederick, MD on November 7, 2023 at the age of 71 because of abdominal cancer. She was born May 17, 1952, in Cleveland, OH, the youngest daughter of Evert and Martha Anderson. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister Judith Chapman. She is survived by her husband Richard Fleming whom she met in 1994 on an educational trip to Morocco and married in 1995; her nieces Kathleen Espich and Amber Chapman; two great nieces, Morgan Espich and Taylor Boudreau; her stepdaughter Meredith Fleming and step grandson Ian Scully.

Jean  graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and then moved to Colorado where she received her Bachelor in Anthropology  in 1974 from Colorado State University and her Master of Education in Adult Education in 1977. She later received her Doctor of Education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1996.

Jean started her career in Adult Education in 1975 at the Volunteers Clearing House and the Poudre Public School System in Fort Collins, CO. She then went on to work in various positions in CO at Regis University, the Boulder County Correctional Facility, and the Colorado Department of Education. She then took a hiatus from education to travel the county in her little Mazda and then went to work in the hospitality industry at the prestigious Brown Palace Hotel and the Sagamore Resort and Conference Center. She returned to education in 1987 when she came back to Denver, CO and worked as a manager and then Executive Director of the Community Technical Skills Center; Director of Workplace Education at Arapahoe Community College; consultant for the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children. After receiving her doctorate, she became an Assistant Professor of Adult and Community Education at Ball State University in Muncie, IN and then served as a Visiting Professor in Adult Education at the University of Tennessee. After Richard earned his Doctor of Education from the University of Northern Colorado they moved to Hobbs, NM where she was an Assistant Professor of Education and Management at the University of the Southwest. They then moved to Show Low, AZ and Jean became a small business owner when she started Distinctive Gift Baskets. They moved next to Virginia and Jean served as an adjunct Professor at The George Washington University, Virginia Commonwealth University, North Carolina State University and Regional Director in the Adult Education Program at Mary Baldwin College. Then a final time Jean moved  to MD where she earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from the College of Southern Maryland and became an RN.  She worked as a Patient Advocate at Calvert Health Systems and in 2015 became the Interim Director of Calvert Hospice and then the Executive Director in 2016; a position she served in until 2021 when she retired and began to undergo treatment for her cancer. 

Jean was a nationally recognized professional and volunteer in the Adult and Continuing Education field. She was the author or co-author of over 30 referred articles and presentations. She was active in numerous state and national associations and served as president in a number of them. Her most active work was with the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education which she was a member of for over 35 years. She served in various volunteer roles and finally as president in 2014-2015. They recognized her service by awarding her the Presidential Award (their highest award) in 2017. In 2020 she received the highest recognition in Adult and Continuing Education by being inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame which recognizes individuals who are outstanding leaders in the fields of adult learning and continuing education and who are distinguished as a scholar, practitioner ,or policy maker. Since its founding in 1996, only 404 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.  

Jean and Richard loved to travel and set a goal in 2003 to visit all seven continents which they completed in 2019 and for Rich to visit Hawaii and Alaska in order to complete his 50 states (Jean had accomplished it earlier). They completed that quest in 2022.

Per her wishes there will not be a viewing or service. In lieu of flowers or other gifts please make a donation in Jean’s name to Hospice of the Chesapeake in Calvert county. https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/giving/donate-now/