Jeanne Elaine McNeil passed away on April 15, 2016 after a prolonged stalemate with cancer.

Jeanne, originally from California, came to Bainbridge Island 36 years ago. A spirited lover of life, living it to the end, Jeanne’s talents cast a wide net including chef, horticulturalist, attorney, teacher, prison instructor, farmer, sailor, general contractor, nun, loving wife and family matriarch.

Jeanne grew up with 11 siblings in Compton, California.

After high school, she went into the convent where she earned her bachelor of arts degree while simultaneously becoming a nun.

After teaching school, and then working in juvenile hall with young ladies in trouble, she fell in love with horticulture. She quit her status as a nun, and married for a short time.

Jeanne went on to get a master’s degree in international agriculture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Without an immediate job in horticulture, Jeanne worked at the California Men’s Colony teaching basic education to inmates until she moved to Bainbridge Island in 1980.

On Bainbridge, Jeanne became a landscape designer/builder, creating many landscapes in the area, as well as more than a dozen major display gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

After 20 years designing and building gardens, Jeanne went to Seattle University, earning her law degree, and became an attorney.

As executive director of the Washington State Nursery & Landscape Association, she worked on legislation and education programs for the horticulture industry.

Jeanne met her husband, Scott Sprague, in San Luis Obispo. Together they had their feet in the earth (farm) and the water (sailing). Jeanne sailed the Salish Sea, the Caribbean and Mediterranean. She traveled to Washington, D.C. with Governor Gregoire to push for immigration reform. She was a key player in creating horticultural and sustainable practices education programs in the Northwest.

Jeanne produced copious amounts of fruits and vegetables from her little farm near Island Center, some days bringing as much as 100 pounds of produce to the food bank a day.

Jeanne is survived by her husband, Scott Sprague; her 11 brothers and sisters; her family members Karen, Tom and Brinton Sprague; and many extended family members.

A memorial for Jeanne will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 21 at Island Center Hall.

A perpetual horticultural scholarship has been created to honor Jeanne’s longtime commitment to and mentorship in the field. Donations may be sent to the WSNLA Scholarship and Research Charitable Fund (note Jeanne E. McNeil Memorial), 3440 Pacific Highway South, Suite #2, Federal Way, WA 98003 (or online at WSNLA.org).