March 2, 1930 – July 10, 2021
Jeanette Minnie Astle was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey March 2, 1930. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on the afternoon of July 10, 2021 at the age of 91 in Friendswood, TX.
She was the oldest of three siblings. Brother David was a life long pilot flying mostly for the CIA all over the world. Her baby brother Charlie was a contract lawyer for Boeing.
Her parents were Wilhelmina “Minnie” Mensing and David Martin Astle. Her mother was a seamstress and ran the household. Her father was an amazing mechanic who rented and ran Gas Stations in Bridgeton, NJ from the big oil companies. Her mother’s parents (Frederick and Amelia) immigrated to the United States from Germany because her grandfather did not want to be drafted into the German army for World War I.
Growing up at 56 Centerton road in Bridgeton, NJ she was one of few girls in the area and was quite the tomboy. She tended to the family garden and livestock (eventually dinner). She was a natural athlete. In high school she beat the captain of the lady’s basketball team in a free throw contest. In high school she learned secretarial skills and business and worked a part-time job after school. She graduated top in her class in 1948.
She met Eladio Anthony Delgado at a barn dance and they married July 30, 1950. Together they had three boys, Andrew, Raymond, and Richard. They started a mink farm in Vineland, New Jersey in 1951. Tragically, their middle son passed from measles in 1962 shortly after the birth of their third son. They divorced several years later.
Her work career started in high school working for Bridgeton Credit Sales as a bookkeeper. She was so well liked and trusted that she occasionally manned the store alone. She later worked for Beltone hearing aid as an office manager, DuPont as a secretary, and the City of Wilmington Delaware Water Department as executive assistant to the district manager and district engineer often correcting her managers’ English and spelling. She was a value employee.
She met the love of her life Victor Maurice Gelin in 1970 at a Parents Without Partners (PWP) dance. They married April 16, 1972. Vic immigrated from Vilnius, Lithuania in his teens. A brilliant man, he taught himself English and graduated from M.I.T. with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Vic worked for E. I. DuPont for 20 years before his retirement to start a consulting business. Following their marriage, they relocated from Delaware to central Florida. Jeanette became Vic’s executive assistant for this Maintenance & Safety consulting business.
Jeanette was a lifelong tennis enthusiast and enjoyed playing tennis until the age of 75. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was preceded in her death by her parents David and Minnie, her husband Vic, her brother David, and her baby boy Raymond.
She leaves behind brother Charlie Astle, sons Rich and Andy Delgado, step-sons John and Bruce Gelin, 10 grandchildren Dana, Scott, Julie, Jay, Anthony, Zack, Courtenay, Whitney, Andrew, and Rachel, along with their spouses and 10 great grand-children Atticus, Sawyer, Elliot, Zosia, Willow, Wilder, Carter, Sam, Amelia, and Genevieve.
