In Memory: Jean M. Kuhn, Age 95
Jean McNicol Kuhn, 95, died peacefully at her home in Orleans, MA with her family around her, on October 26, 2020. Born February 2, 1925 in Glasgow, Scotland, Jean was the daughter of Archibald and Annie (Craig) McNicol. She and her older brother Archie grew up in a close-knit extended family in Glasgow, where her father was a food broker. She was educated in Glasgow schools and attended Glasgow University, graduating in 1943. In 1945, she earned an MA from the Glasgow University School of Social Work and the Institute of Almoners (medical social workers). From 1945 until the late 1950s, just as the National Health Service (NHS) was being implemented, Jean worked as a medical social worker in hospitals and sanatoria throughout Scotland and England. As she also cared for home-bound patients, her work often required her to travel alone across broad and sometimes remote territories. She was proud to have served patients from all walks of life, and her deeply held belief in social justice was rooted in those experiences.
In 1959, she was awarded a two year Fulbright Travel Grant to work at New York Hospital and study at the Columbia University School of Social Work. It was in New York where she met Adam Bud Kuhn, an ad executive for the A&P Company, whom she married in 1961. The couple made their home in Rye, NY where their son Duncan was born. In 1969, the family moved permanently to Orleans, MA, which had been a favorite vacation spot, and which was Jeans home until her death.
Jean was an active member of the Federated Church in Orleans for fifty years, where she served on various committees and played in the Handbell Choir. She was also involved with assorted other volunteer activities in the community, and loved playing golf, bridge, and mahjong with her wide circle of friends. Jean maintained strong, lifelong relationships with family and close friends in Scotland and travelled back to visit whenever she could.
In her later years, she took enormous pleasure in her grandchildren, Isla and Ian Kuhn, whom she spoiled relentlessly. Never short of a story or a strongly held opinion, Jean loved a good laugh and a cup of tea or a walk on Skaket Beach with a friend. Her kindness, determination, and generosity will be greatly missed.
She is survived by her son Duncan Kuhn and his wife Kit Nichols, her grandchildren Isla and Ian Kuhn, nieces and other family in Scotland and Canada, and a nephew in Philadelphia. She was predeceased by her husband Bud in 1983 and her brother Archie in 2015. A memorial service will be held at the Federated Church in Orleans at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Federated Church of Orleans in her memory.
