Mrs. Jean Rurak

Jean Rurak Loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and aunt Jean Rurak of Lowell, passed away peacefully at home on June 23, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Jean was the daughter of the late Gino and Rita (Grant) Quattrochi. Jean shared 55 devoted and loving years of marriage with her husband and best friend Ted whom she had met 60 years ago. Together, they shared a home filled with love that made everyone feel welcomed. For over 50 years Jean fought a courageous battle with Multiple Sclerosis and faced every day’s challenges with grace and dignity, never complaining about her health. Whenever she was asked how she was feeling she would always smile and reply that she was doing fine. When notified in mid-May that she had terminal lung cancer she didn’t change course and continued her journey with resiliency and a positive mindset not once complaining about her additional challenge. She was the eternal optimist who always saw the glass half full and the bright side of things. Her positive attitude was not only inspiring but also infectious. In her high school and college days Jean was a terrific dancer and enjoyed going to The Commodore Ballroom and Lowell State dances. She enjoyed listening to music and attending concerts and the theatre. Some of her favorite concerts and plays included The Band, The Beach Boys Bette Middler, John Denver, Peter Paul and Mary and the Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and Chorus Line. She enjoyed attending her son’s Baseball, Soccer, and Basketball games and became an avid sports aficionado. She put to use her 35mm Canon camera at his games along with all family functions and vacations. She had a terrific sense of humor and regularly had to restrain impatience in having to explain a punch line of a joke to her husband telling him that he was giving her a Ted-ache. She was quick witted, rarely lost a Scrabble match and consistently was the Queen Bee in the NY Times Spelling Bee Puzzle. She had been the Immaculate Conception School Spelling Bee Champion for several years. Jean was an avid reader and gifted writer. She was the LHS student reporter to the Lowell Sun. She used those skills to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science History from University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She stayed current politically by watching MSNOW, her favorite was the Rachel Maddow Show. Whether it was a holiday, a birthday, a party for friends or fundraising for charitable causes and political parties, Jean had a talent for turning every occasion into something memorable and special. She was the heart and soul of her family, bringing everyone together to celebrate life’s memorable moments both big and small. Among her favorites were organizing her in-laws surprise 50th wedding anniversary party, and college graduation party for her son and his friends. She loved decorating the home for each season and holiday. Half the attic was full of Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving decorations and dishes. She would rotate and alternate the decorations according to the season, holiday and expected events. Jean especially looked forward to the annual family vacations in the mountains of North Conway NH and at the beaches of Cape Cod. She made certain that a portion of time was allocated to blaze the trails of the White Mountain Highway (Rt 16) and the historic Old Kings Highway (Rt 6A) at the Cape shopping for gifts for family and friends. Jean excelled at cooking. No one would leave without having seconds or multiple servings. Her Italian Lasagna and Meatballs and Lemon Meringue Pie were her most popular dishes. At one party several friends recommended that she should share her culinary delights and start a catering business. She did just that and owned and operated Bon Appetit Catering where she was the Chef- a very successful venture for many years and an enjoyable and rewarding experience for her as well as all of her clients. Jean was born on April 12, 1950, and attended the Immaculate Conception School in Lowell. The Sixties were a landmark decade. Jean graduated in 1963 from the Immaculate Conception School where, for a couple of years, she was the School Spelling Bee Champion and went on to compete in the City Wide Spelling Bee. She was a 1967 Lowell High School Graduate where she was a Girl Officer and Student Reporter to the Lowell Sun Newspaper. During her senior year she met her future husband Ted at a Commodore Ballroom Dance. She then attended Lowell State Teachers College and worked part time at the Bon Marche Department Store and DeMoulas’s. The Seventies were most important and a blessed decade for Jean. She married Ted in 1971, decided to take a leave-of-absence from college and went to work as a teller at First Federal Savings Bank. In 1975 she celebrated her greatest accomplishment: giving birth to her son Mark who would have her unwavering love for the next five decades. Jean stayed home to raise Mark and treasured every second spent with him. A year later she was diagnosed with MS but in true Jean-style, she too it in stride, and it didn’t stop her from fully embracing the life that she wanted. She and her husband bought their home in which they lived in for fifty years and where she passed away. To help with the home payments she went to work part time evenings and weekends as a Waitress and Wedding Hostess at the Windsor restaurant. During that period she also volunteered time as a Girl Scout Troop Leader at the Pyne School in Lowell. The Eighties was the decade when she loved to entertain family and friends and hosted parties for Family Holidays, Friends, Charity and Political fundraisers. Jean went back to school and graduated in 1983 with an Associate’s degree in Gerontology from Northern Essex Community College and volunteered at the Merrimack Valley Legal Services. At the end of the decade, she worked part-time as a clerk at the now Fredrick Abisi Adult Education Center. In the nineties she volunteered and was the chairperson of the Friends of Lowell High School Baseball Committee and decided to continue her education and enrolled at UMass Lowell to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History (1993). A year later Jean was diagnosed with Atrial Myxoma and had Open Heart Surgery. After her recovery she went to work at the Butler School as a Library aide. In the next few decades, Jean’s love connections expanded. She became a grandmother three times and adopted a succession of dogs. Next to raising her son, Mark, nothing brought Jean more joy than spending time with her grandsons Ryan, Luke and Matthew. They became the center of her life and she cherished every moment spent with them. Whether it was helping to take care of them during their formative years, hosting holiday or weekend sleepovers, or watching them participate in countless sporting events she treasured every minute with them. Her warmth and love filled their lives with happiness and created many lasting memories. There were very few rules at Grandma’s home and no real curfew during sleepovers. She viewed their visits as an opportunity for them to learn how to be responsible for making their own informed decisions. She was generous and thoughtful and had a lifelong history of being a great gift giver to her son, family and friends. She continued to use her shopping skills to ensure that the boys received special gifts on their Birthdays, at Christmas or on special occasions. She would research in advance the product availability and be prepared to stay current with trends so they would receive the gift on time. Whether it was a Haro Pistol BMX Freestyle Bicycle during Covid, a limited edition Playstation along with Gaming Monitors at Christmas or the out of stock Oliver Cabell Cowboy shoes in time for a Birthday. Her special relationship with the boys was built on honesty, trust and love. She was an attentive listener and understood that there were two sides to a story. Most importantly she encouraged them to think positively, pursue their dreams, never quit, and to aspire to do their best. They always knew she was confident that they would succeed. Yes, Grandma was truly their greatest supporter and advocate who always “had their backs”. Jean’s warmth, love and care also extended to three other special members of her family, Pudge, Sassy and Maddy- all English Bulldogs that she adopted or rescued. Over the span of twenty years there was always one happy and spoiled Bulldog in her home. She had a special place in her heart for her canine family and ensured that each of her companions received the finest care and medical attention, which over the years included cataract surgery, pace-maker surgery, breathing surgery, and hip and cancer treatments. They were her best girl-friends who brought her daily comfort, happiness and laughter. She loved them dearly and if you looked into their beautiful brown eyes you could tell how much love, loyalty and affection they felt towards her. Jean was truly remarkable and a “Woman for All Seasons”. She was intelligent, honest and loyal, kind and caring, thoughtful and supportive, charitable and generous. She had her priorities in order. She always remained calm, cool and in control when dealing with a challenge. Most importantly Jean understood how precious life really is and “taught us to never sweat the small stuff”. She embraced every day and her life was filled with love, courage and wisdom. Jean will be deeply missed but her memory will be treasured forever by all of us that were blessed to know and love her. In addition to her husband Jean is survived by her loving son; Mark Rurak and his wife Katie of Lowell; three wonderful and loving grandsons; Ryan, Luke and Matthew Rurak all of Lowell; her brother Michael and sister, Linda, both of Nashua NH; a brother in-law Zbigniew and his wife Elizabeth of London, England; nephews Stefan Rurak and his wife Amanda of Cape Elizabeth, ME, and Bryan and Evan Richardson, and nieces , Ania Romestaing and her husband Etienne of London, England and Gina Quattrochi and several cousins. The Rurak family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and friends who helped take care of Jean during her recent transition; Dr Jessica Weiselquist and Kelly Price from Stony Brook Primary Care, Doctor Blaire Ardman from Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital, Danielle Murphy, Theresa Ellis, Victoria Lapierre, Julia Cline and Bernadette Gilbride, from Tufts Hospice Medical Care at Home, and her dear friends Elaine Fox, and Arcelinda Silva. Their kindness, thoughtfulness and tender care will always be remembered. FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE INVITED TO JEAN’S CALLING HOURS ON TUESDAY MORNING JULY 7, 2026, FROM 9:00 AM UNTIL 10:30 AM IN THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 144 EAST MERRIMACK ST, LOWELL. HER FUNERAL MASS WILL FOLLOW AT 11:00 AM IN THE CHURCH, FOLLOWED BY BURIAL IN ST. PATRICK’S CEMETERY, LOWELL. THE FAMILY KINDLY ASKS THAT AS AN EXPRESSION OF SYMPATHY, DONATIONS IN JEAN’S MEMORY MAY BE MADE TO EITHER TO THE LOWELL HUMANE SOCIETY, 951 BROADWAY ST, LOWELL, MA 01854 (lowellhumanesociety.org) OR THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BUILDING FUND, 3 FAYETTE ST, LOWELL MA 01852 OR THE NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY, 733 3RD AVE FL 3, NEW YORK, NY 10017. (nationalmssociety.org)

Mrs. Jean Rurak

April 12, 1950 - June 23, 2026