JEAN COGGAN BECTON

ERO BEACH, Fla., and BLUE HILL – Jean Coggan Becton, 91, a lifelong sailing enthusiast and artist, died July 16, 2008, of pneumonia, in Blue Hill. Jean’s enormous enthusiasm for the sport of sailing began when she was a young child and continued throughout her entire life. As a young woman, she won the Maine Women’s Sailing Championship in 1936 and again in 1946, and went on to compete both years in the National Championships on Long Island Sound, New York. In following years, she enjoyed sailing her sloop, Blue Lady, and won several cruising class races. She taught her five children to sail and coached them to continue her winning tradition with their own Maine State Championships. Two of her granddaughters are national collegiate sailors. Jean’s real passion was to insure that all children have an opportunity to learn to sail. To foster the proud maritime heritage of Hancock County, she raised funds to start a sailing program at Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, for which she received a special award. She worked to build junior sailing at Kollegewidgewok Yacht Club, Blue Hill, as an open enrollment program, encouraging the participation of local school children. This effort grew into today’s non-profit K.S.E.A. sailing school, which supports the championship sailing team at the regional high school, George Stevens Academy. Jean was born May 31, 1917, in Boston, to Maude and Linus Coggan. She was raised in their home in Hingham, Mass., but spent each summer at her grandparents’ home on Peter’s Point, Blue Hill, where her father taught her the fundamentals of sailing. She developed a championship ability in racing, winning several series in Brutal Beasts, O-Boats and her Atlantic Class sloop, Madcap. She was educated at Derby Academy, Hingham, Mass., and Hacienda Del Sol School, Tucson, Ariz., although a prolonged bout with asthma and bronchitis kept her out of school for more than two years. She graduated from Bennett Junior College near New York City. In 1936, she moved with her family to Englewood, N.J., when her father became treasurer of Corn Products Corp. After attending secretarial school there, Jean first worked for the Johns Manville Co., but switched to the New York Times, where she was in charge of newsprint delivery operations. Most fortunately, she also met her future husband, Henry Becton, with whom she chose to elope, June 16, 1942. Jean and Henry recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. Shortly after their marriage, Henry was drafted into the Army and sent overseas. Jean surprised Henry by giving birth to fraternal twins while he was stationed in England. She chose to name them Henry and Jean, which would later cause some confusion with phone calls and mailing addresses. She was also the proud mother of three more children, Jeffery in 1947, Cynthia in 1951 and Lizabeth in 1952. In 1945 she joined her husband in taking flying lessons. She soloed in a Stinson Voyager, and became his unofficial co-pilot in his Aircoupe and then his Navion. In Rutherford, N.J., where they then lived, Jean sang in a women’s chorus, brought the Trapp Family Singers to town for local concerts and was elected a trustee of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. When they moved back to Englewood, N.J., she became active in promoting the teaching of foreign languages in the elementary schools chaired the women’s committee of the Symphony and planned fashion shows to raise concert funds. She enjoyed painting still-lifes, nautical scenes and portraits in oils. She loved to figure skate, ice dance and play tennis, and she became an avid gardener. Her garden in Blue Hill was featured in the book Seaside Gardening by Theodore James Jr. Jean herself also completed a manuscript called “Fisheating Creek,” a novel based on the childhood of her friend, David Click, a central Florida homesteader. This book was published and is now in its second printing. She and her husband have resided in recent years at The Moorings, Vero Beach, Fla., while continuing to summer in Maine. In addition to her husband and five children, Jean is survived by her sister, Cynthia Barber; 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. During the last few years, Jean was cared for by a staff of kind, devoted caregivers, to whom the family offers special thanks. A private family service is planned for later in the summer. Contributions in her name may be sent to Kollegewidgwok Sailing Education Association, P.O. Box 368, Blue Hill, ME 04614, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, P.O. Box 222, Blue Hill, ME 04614 or Blue Hill Library, 5 Parker Point Road, Blue Hill, ME 04614.