Jean was born in 1923 on the family farm in Blooming Grove, PA to Edgar R. and Jane Kleinhans (nee Brown).

The family moved to a new residence in White Mills, PA where she started elementary school. After graduating from Hawley High School, she worked at a Wall Street firm during the war. After World War II, she and first husband Lawrence Mittan lived in New York City and Philadelphia, PA. Upon return to White Mills with her two children, she worked as a bookkeeper for a local business, where she met her second husband, Donald Penwarden. She and Don moved to Wind Gap, PA where she raised two more children, living there for over fifty years. During that time, she was a homemaker active in community affairs and volunteer services such as Meals on Wheels and the Miller Blood bank. Fun for Jean was bowling with various leagues at Blue Valley Lanes in Wind Gap and watching show jumping and dressage at various locations throughout the Slate Belt. In 2016, she moved to Bethlehem PA where she lived until her peaceful passing at Holy Family Senior Living.

Jean is survived by son Steven Mittan (Cheryl); daughter Holly Butler (nee Mittan); daughter Wendy Penwarden Moore (Robert) and Nancy Penwarden Trimmer (David), as well as four grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to a graveside service on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 11am at Wind Gap Cemetery in Plainfield Township.