Jennie Lynn (Stein) Totten, 91, of Woodlawn, Illinois passed away Friday, September 8, 2023, at Mount Vernon Countryside Manor.
She was born October 27, 1931, in Enfield, Illinois, the daughter of the late Lynn Rude Stein and the late Ruth Lorene (Veatch) Stein. She married Ralph Austin Totten, son of Kenneth A. Totten and Faith (Bateman) Totten in Carmi on August 5, 1951.
Jennie Lynn grew up among fields of flowers at Stein’s Nursery near Enfield and attended Upponblock School, a one-room schoolhouse near her home. After graduating from Enfield Community High School, she enrolled at McKendree College (now McKendree University) and graduated in 1952 with majors in music, piano, organ, and voice. She gave private music lessons throughout her life and taught elementary music in Nashville for seven years and in Granite City for twenty years.
Jennie Lynn played numerous roles in the communities in which Ralph was appointed during his years as a United Methodist minister, among them were music director, choir director, organist, community choir director, youth and children’s choir director, and lay leader. Additionally, she served as a district representative for both United Methodist Women and the Wesleyan Service Guild and was among the early leaders of Angels on Assignment.
Over the years, McKendree has held a special place in her heart; it is there that she met, fell in love, and formed a lifetime bond with Ralph. Even with their busy lifestyle working in the churches and schools while raising a family of four children, Ralph and Jennie Lynn always found time to offer their services to their alma mater, McKendree. They were both members of the William McKendree Society and were instrumental in fundraising campaigns for the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. A practice room at the “Hett” was named in her honor.
After retiring, Jennie Lynn and Ralph built their retirement home in rural Woodlawn. Jennie Lynn designed and installed multiple gardens filled with flowering and ornamental perennials, shrubs, and trees creating interesting vistas that spanned the seasons. Each winter, she delighted in filling out order forms for spring bulbs and perennial plants from the ever-expanding stack of garden catalogs. When the boxes arrived, planting became a family project.
Jennie Lynn is survived by her sister, Anna May McArthy (Keith) of Enfield; daughters, Ev Totten of Arlington, Virginia, and Gwen Stanford of Woodlawn; son, Doug Totten of Woodlawn; daughter-in-law, Janice Ingham Totten of Roscoe; grandchildren, Mandy Stanford, Jeremy Stanford (Dana), Chris Stanford (Amy), Corey Jordan (Bill), Cellie Robinson (Terry), Josh Totten, Jamie Totten, Becky Rudolph (Dave Costello) and Liz Rudolph; numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Jennie Lynn was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Austin Totten; her brother, Richard Lee “Dick” Stein; sister-in-law, Alice Land Stein; and her son, Ralph Gregory “Greg” Totten. Her family is grateful for the special care Jennie Lynn received from the incredible caregivers and Hospice medical team at GreenTree Memory Care and Mount Vernon Countryside Manor.
A Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 24, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon, Illinois. A Memorial Service will begin at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Victor Long officiating. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation in Jennie Lynn’s honor to Angels on Assignment or McKendree University. Call Hughey Funeral Home at 618-242-3348 or visit hugheyfh.com for further information.
