Jean Halvorsen has been silently donating to Mount Mary University and Alverno College students for years. Her generous impact is finally being called out.
“You worry too much. There's no point in worrying about the things you can't even control."
I had obviously heard that saying before, but for some reason, it meant something when it came out of Jean Halvorsen’s mouth. She drops a lot of wisdom that actually matters to me, and that’s what makes her a top Milwaukee Woman today.
Halvorsen’s lifestyle is all about learning and giving back to young women earning their degrees in the area. In a time of need, I was one of these broke college students who also happened to love unconventional jobs.
I didn’t think I would care much about this sassy old lady that I just met. Does anyone really want to get to know their part-time employer? After hiring my own mother as a caregiver, Halvorsen was also drawn to me to “keep up with all the new things today.” She hired me in 2016 to plant flowers, pull weeds, shred and sort old mail and magazines dating back to the 60s. Easy enough. I could bring my headphones. I didn't even need to talk to her.
Between classes, I sped to her house near the Alverno campus to earn whatever under the table pay she was willing to offer in the few hours I could help. There were hot summer gardening days where I’d have to get back to class covered in sweat, yet I was learning essential life skills. It also helped that we did more talking than working. We usually chatted about the “what ifs” or the “what do you believes?”
“Sometimes there are things that happen that we can’t explain,” she said looking up into her thoughts. “I think what we believe is what will happen.”
I agreed, and I couldn’t believe I did. I usually didn’t share beliefs with anyone over the age of 60. I actually wanted to know more about her.
Halvorsen lived in Peshtigo, Wisconsin until moving to Milwaukee to attend college at Mount Mary University. In addition to graduating with her Master’s degree from UWM, she spent a lifelong career as a biology and special education teacher at Whitnall High School.
Different lives, living through different times, I often think about why exactly our paths crossed in Milwaukee and so does she.
“Isn’t it crazy how you can be friends with someone a million years younger than you?!” she often joked.
I had to know what brought her to Milwaukee. Why did she stay?
“My dad wanted me to go. I came from a Catholic family and my auntie was a nun. I liked Mount Mary, but I kind of like any place,” Halvorsen said.
That's one of her secrets to living a happy life; simply being happy with all the things that come her way. My indecisive mind thought there was something wrong with not knowing my single passion or going to a Catholic college even though I had no interest in religion. She made me realize there's nothing wrong with giving everything a chance.
Halvorsen was also married happily for years until her husband's death in 2011. Today, she enjoys the ones who still surround her and talks of him often.
After years of teaching, learning, and loving, Halvorsen lives with her big cat, Yenny, in Greenfield, Wisconsin. At 84 years old, she lives more of a simple life, taking classes at the community center and spending her days with her caregiver Vicki or lunch with old friends. After 3 PM, don't you dare bother her; she's watching her sports, reading books, or she has worn out her bubbliness for the day.
No big deal to her, Halvorsen also happens to offer life-changing scholarships to students like her former self attending Mount Mary University and Alverno College, two women’s colleges in the greater Milwaukee area. From Art students to English students applying for scholarships, Jean is silently changing young lives. In 2017, she helped send me abroad on a trip to Ireland during my final year of undergraduate school. She has also offered scholarships anonymously, without the need for a thank you.
Admittedly an inspiring woman, but we disagreed often. That’s what happens when you become someone’s family. Once when I came over to “work,” I made her lunch of choice; veal and mushrooms.
“Is this what you eat for lunch when you’re old?” I thought.
As a sophomore in college, I hadn’t really cooked more than pasta and eggs. The stove in my old rented house was overdue for a replacement by 20 years and set the smoke alarm off when we turned it on, so these were my first opportunities to cook. Meat was not my first choice, especially from an adorable calf.
“Why do you want to eat a baby cow?”I asked her.
“More tender,” she responded quickly with a stone face.
“It’s kind of sad, don’t you think? Hurting animals?“
“Don’t you think it hurts plants when you kill them and eat them?” she asked like this had been on her mind for years.
I was speechless. I didn't have any snarky remarks to dispute that. After all, she had spent a good chunk of her life in a biology classroom. This lady knew was she was talking about.
“Hell, you think this is bad? I used to have pet cows that I helped birth on the farm. We even named them before we killed them. It was so cool! Sometimes at dinner, I’d ask my parents’ ‘Hey is this Betsy?’ It’s all part of life,” Halvorsen said.
To this day, I can’t enjoy meat the way she does, and her cow birthing stories only scared me off more. Yet I found a new appreciation for our different experiences and how they shaped the way we think.
During our days together, the spunky old lady offered me her carefree energy that I often needed to recharge before returning to school. When she asked questions, I unpoured. Life became defeating, and Halvorsen’s role in my life also morphed into my therapist, versus me as her housekeeper.
This is where her famous quote about me worrying too much comes in. I’ll never forget sitting at a red light together on the way to a Walgreens prescription fill. I was complaining about nonsense schoolwork, or something else equally unimportant. As soon as she hit me with my reality check, I realized most “problems” are minor enough to let the world take its course to solve them.
I didn't know Jean Halvorsen before her 80s, but I’m glad to have known her for the rest of her life. While life often gets in the way of routine visits, I occasionally repay her for what she’s done in the form of snuggles from my baby, Willow.
So what exactly makes a Today Milwaukee Woman? It's someone who has experiences worth replicating and opinions that matter to younger generations. It’s someone who seeks to help those who don’t ask. It’s someone who is curious, and shows silent care for others. It’s someone who is happy with everything good or bad that comes their way.
“You know what I used to say when I was younger? Shit happens!”
This seems to be Halvorsen’s motto today as well.
About the Author
Jeana Prudhomme
Jeana is the Editor for Milwaukee Women Today and a current English graduate student at Mount Mary University. She is most passionate about writing stories focused on feminism and the environment within the Milwaukee community.
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