Obituary of Jean K. Mass

FAIRFIELD, CONN Jean Krueger Mass passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening, just days after celebrating her 90th birthday at her Greenfield Hill, Connecticut, home, where she and her family lived for nearly five decades. She is survived by her devoted husband, Marvin Mass; her son, Andrew Mass; her daughter, Ariana Ferrandino, and son-in-law, Luke Ferrandino; and her grandchildren, Jack and Alexa Ferrandino. Jean also leaves behind her sisters, Edith Perlmutter and Thelma Krugman, as well as many nieces and nephews. Jean was born to Abraham and Helen Krueger in the small town of Sowina, Poland, in 1935, the second youngest of seven siblings. She and her sisters survived the Holocaust with the help of several families from town, who risked their own lives to hide them. After staying with the Navone family in Paris, France, for several years, she made her way to the United States to reunite with her sisters and settled in Newark, New Jersey. She attended Rutgers University and became a nurse before meeting Marvin, a dentist and U.S. Navy officer, on the ferry to Nantucket, a place to which they returned many times over the course of their marriage of over 60 years. Jean was a sweet and loving friend and a fierce and devoted mother and grandmother. By many, she will be remembered for cooking up a storm in the most popular room in the house—her kitchen—to keep the steady stream of visitors well fed and entertained. By her friends she will be remembered for all the good times they had together, laughing and talking the night away. She enjoyed playing bridge with friends, traveling with her family, and putting fear into the hearts of blackjack dealers, particularly at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico, one of the favorite family vacation spots. And anyone who has visited their house has seen the beautiful Haitian art Jean and Marvin collected on their memorable trips to Haiti, where Marvin was doing missionary dental work in the 1970’s. Jean’s adult life was filled with laughter and joy. Her legacy is her love for her family, her friends, her community—and the many lives she touched. She will be deeply missed. A graveside service will be held on Friday May 16, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Willowbrook Cemetery 395 Main Street, Westport, Connecticut 06880. The Abraham Green & Son Funeral Home of Fairfield is directing the arrangements.