Family and friends will hold memorial services for longtime Darien resident Jean Gledhill Rawls Saturday morning at the Noroton Presbyterian Church. Jean, who was 98 years old, was an integral part of many community groups, including the church's Missions Committee and Women's Guild and the Stamford Junior League. She also volunteered at Stamford Hospital for six decades, often alongside her late husband, former chief of surgery Dr. Cotton Rawls.
Jean, who died Aug. 16, was born and raised in New York City. She would often spend summers as a child with her family in Darien's Hay Island. She moved to Darien after graduating from Wells College in Aurora, N.Y, in 1932 and attending the New York School of Social Work. She married her husband at Noroton Presbyterian Church on Dec. 21, 1935.
The church always had a special place in her heart. She faithfully attended its 8 a.m. Sunday services, and last year the church community honored her as its oldest living member. In addition to serving as chair of the Missions Committee and president of the Women's Guild at different points in her life, Jean also spent two terms as a church elder and helped found the church's Circle Programs.
Jean was also an avid swimmer. As a teenager, she often swam from Darien to Green's Ledge Lighthouse. Even well into her 80s, Jean continued to swim and dive gracefully.
Jean is survived by a daughter, Nancy Rawls Dauk of New Canaan; a son, Cotton Rawls Jr.; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, who affectionately called her "Boomba." Memorial services are at Noroton Presbyterian Church starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Noroton Presbyterian Church, Memorial Fund, 2011 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820.
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