Jean Gottlieb

Jean Gottlieb

November 17, 1923 – February 12, 2024

Jean Gottlieb — a native of Chicago and 60-year seasonal resident on Fort Myers Beach; historian and researcher; polio survivor, fisherwoman, memoirist; mother of six, grandmother and great-grandmother — died peacefully at age 100 in Chicago on February 12, 2024.

A funeral service and burial at the Gottlieb family plot in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago took place on February 14, 2024.

Jean wed Harry Gottlieb, then an officer candidate in the U.S. Signal Corps, in May 1942. They remained married for 73 years, until Harry passed away in 2015.

Jean leaves six children: Annie, Sara, Martha, Janet (Fort Myers Beach), Alan, and David; 12 grandchildren, and a growing legacy of great-grandchildren.

She earned a PhD in English Literature at the University of Chicago, working thereafter as a bookbinder, researcher, bibliographer, and writer.

The Gottliebs bought a beach cottage on Fort Myers Beach, Florida, in 1955. The cottage and the beach were a beloved second home for the family for the next 60 years, and for 15 years a retirement home for Jean and Harry. Jean served as a Board member of the FMB Public Library and the Estero Island Historic Society.

The family welcomes donations in Jean Gottlieb’s memory to the Estero Island Historic Society.