BROCK, JEAN

2008-03-17

Jean Ludwig Brock took her final curtain call in the company of her family on February 24, 2008 at the age of 77. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 5, 1930 to Inez Jeppson and Clifton Howard Ludwig. After graduating from South High School in Salt Lake City on her 17th birthday, she pursued courses in theatre arts at the University of Utah until 1950. She then followed her dreams to New York City where she pursued a professional acting career. Jean studied at the Martha Graham Dance Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse where she honed her acting skills under the tutelage of Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghoff. Her talent and training earned her many professional acting credits including the title role in Electra, and appearances as several of Shakespeare's most notorious leading ladies. Some of Jean's fondest memories from this period of her life included her experience in Summer Stock with the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, the Vagabond Players in Flatrock, North Carolina and Somers Playhouse in Connecticut. Despite her success as an actress, Jean chose to put her career on hold to raise a family after her marriage to Robert Ernest Brock on December 5, 1955. Pursuing everything in her life with vitality, Jean had six children in the next nine years, while completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts through the University of Utah. Jean used her passion for the theatre to seamlessly weave career and family. She founded the Children's Shakespeare Theatre, which allowed her to raise her own children and scores of others in an atmosphere of classical literature and fine arts. What began with a small group of children grew into a highly-respected theatre program that is thriving today. In 1978, Jean's talent for directing and working with children brought her to the South Orangetown School District. For the next 22 years, Jean directed school and community productions and taught English at South Orangetown Middle School and Tappan Zee High School where her love of literature and her theatrical insight brought both the classroom and stage to life for countless students and audiences. As a lifelong member of the LDS church, Jean taught Sunday school classes to both youth and adults. Her tireless preparation and her naturally dramatic voice helped people to gain a greater appreciation for the lives and works of saints and scriptural heroes. After calling New York her home for fifty years, Jean retired in June of 2000 to Salt Lake City to be closer to her family. Jean is survived by three sisters, Joyce Canfield of Placerville, CA, Mary Anderson of Salt Lake City, UT and Lorraine Hargraves of Bountiful UT, four children, Robert of Portland Oregon, Steven of Federal Way, WA, Kevin of Salt Lake City, UT and Robin of Auburn, WA. She is also survived by eight grandchildren. Jean was preceded in death by her daughter Cynthia and her son, Byron. A celebration of Jean's life will be held at the Palisades Presbyterian Church, 117 Washington Spring Road, Palisades, NY on Saturday, April 12. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm followed by an open house until 5:00 pm, during which time friends, photographs, videos and anecdotes will celebrate a life well lived. All who would like to share their memories of Jean, whether inspirational, humorous, educational or factual are invited to drop in. If you would like to share a thought or memory, but are unable to attend the celebration, please enter it into the guestbook for the Journal News online obituaries or e-mail Robin at rechapman@comcast.net.