Jean Sidoroff

Jean was born on September 16, 1921 in Colver, PA in Indiana County. Her parents were James and Martha (Baker) Long. She had three brothers and three sisters: Charles, Ida Mary, Bill, Dorothy (Missien / Sementelli), Betty (Ohl), and Jim who all preceded her in death. The family resided in Colver in a home owned by the Cambria and Indiana Railroad as their father was a superintendent on the railroad which hauled coal for the local coal mining operations. Jean graduated from Ebensburg High School in nearby Ebensburg, PA and from Indiana State Teachers College in Indiana, PA majoring in business. She is a U.S. military veteran serving in the U.S. Navy during WWII in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). She later lived and worked in New York City where she meet and married her husband, Eugene Sidoroff, who preceded her in death in 1992. They were married in two separate ceremonies on the same day. First, in a Russian Orthodox Church as Eugene’s parents emigrated from Russian just prior to his birth in New York City in 1916. Second, in a Presbyterian Church (they later both became members of First Presbyterian Church in Allentown). Jean and Eugene met when they both worked for the same chemical company in New York City. They later resided in Chicago, IL, Quakertown, Wayne, and Allentown, PA. They enjoyed socializing with other couples and hosted dinner parties in their home. They also enjoyed traveling together including to Europe when Eugene traveled as part of his sales position at Air Products, Inc. (Eugene graduated from Columbia University majoring in Chemical Engineering). Jean led an active life and volunteered with the American Red Cross working with blood banks and also at the Lehigh Valley Hospital gift shop. Jean enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, reading, needlepoint, crossword puzzles, and watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune television shows. After Eugene’s death, Jean traveled often to Spring Lake, New Jersey where her sister Betty resided; they spent many holidays together. Another friend, Ellen Philips, shared with me that Jean enjoyed visiting Philadelphia and New York City where they went to art museums and other attractions. She had lived in an apartment at Luther Crest in Allentown since 2009 and was cared for by a number of caring aides for the last several years of her life; she enjoyed playing cards and working on jigsaw puzzles with the aides who assisted her. Jean is survived by several nieces, nephews, and their families. Memorial Services will be held Thursday, February 23, 2023 at Luther Crest Retirement Community, at 2:00 PM, 800 Hausman Rd, Allentown, PA 18104. Private graveside services will be held at The Union Cemetery, Quakertown.

Jean Sidoroff

January 31, 2023