AUBURN – Jeannette Merrill (Cobb) Conant, 88, of Auburn died August 25, 2020, at Clover Living Center.

Jeannette, affectionately known as Jet by many, was born in Lexington, Mass., on July 7, 1932, as the middle daughter of Horace and Lola Cobb, and grew up on the family farm in Sumner, Maine. She graduated valedictorian of Buckfield High School, class of 1950, and from the University of Maine at Farmington in 1973 with a degree in Secondary Education.

Jeannette was a selfless person, putting others ahead of herself throughout her life. She worked as a secretary at the USDA in Washington D.C. while her husband Clinton attended University of Maryland on a fellowship. She later worked as an executive secretary at Fleet Bank in Farmington while attending college part time.

After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, Jeannette found the perfect fit for her love of English and helping others as the Jay High School librarian. Like many women raised on a farm she was skilled at everything from gardening, cooking, sewing, embroidery, basic carpentry and all around problem solving, with a work ethic second to none. She applied her skills and hard work ethic at the Mallory Farm in Strong from 1960 to the late 1980s with the farm operating as a dairy farm until 1970 and then transitioning to Standardbred race horses. Jet was famous for her cinnamon coffee rolls with family members competing mightily to get their fair share at holiday gatherings.

Jeannette had a wonderful sense of humor and a unique crooked wry smile when amused. She loved watching her husband, her daughter Kathy, and her grandson Nathan compete in sports and never missed one of her younger daughter Kelly’s many band concerts. Dancing was a staple throughout her life from youth dances at Canton Point, to Saturday night dances at the Farmington Legion Hall, and events at Countryside Resort in Arizona. She could play any card game, finish tough crossword puzzles and answer all the literature questions on Jeopardy.

One of four children, Jeannette is survived by her sister Pauline Martin of Lewiston, sister-in-law, Mary Cobb of Farmington and predeceased by her loving spouse of 57 years, Clinton Conant, her parents, Horace and Lola, and her siblings and their spouses, Betty and Marland Tripp, Jim Cobb, and Allan Martin.

She will be greatly missed by her daughters, sons-in-law and grandsons, Kathy Alexander, her husband Ronald of Rome, Maine and their son Nathan of Pennsylvania, and Kelly Ross, her husband David of Portsmouth, R.I., and their sons Nolan also of Portsmouth and Neil of Washington, D.C., along with numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Memorial services will be private.

Gifts may be made in Jeannette’s memory to the Maine 4-H

Foundation,

York Complex #1,

Orono, Maine 04469

attn: Angela Martin

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