Jean Gottlieb – a native of Chicago and 60-year seasonal Fort Myers Beach resident – has died at the age of 100. Gottlieb was historian and researcher; polio survivor, fisherwoman, memoirist; mother of six, grandmother and great-grandmother.
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. 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.
A funeral service and burial at the Gottlieb family plot in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago took place on February 14th. Jean leaves six children: Annie, Sara, Martha, Janet (Fort Myers Beach), Alan, and David; 12 grandchildren, and a growing legacy of great-grandchildren.
The family welcomes donations in Jean Gottlieb’s memory to the Estero Island Historic Society.
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