Jean A. Shedlock

Jean Shedlock (63) passed away peacefully in the morning hours on February 28, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center in Wayne, NJ (after a long and courageous battle with cancer)

Jean was born on October 26, 1962, in the Bronx, NY, to Barbara (nee Goodwin) Engels and Jack Engels.  She was the first-born of three children and grew up in Clifton, NJ.  After graduating from Clifton High School in 1980, Jean went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.  Always a leader and mentor, she naturally became the Resident Advisor of her dorm.  After graduating from Rutgers, Jean briefly embraced teaching, something she was very passionate about.  She even guided her daughter towards a career in teaching.  Teaching was a natural fit for Jean’s lively personality and her love of children…her summers spent as a Counselor at Camp Clifton, a sleepaway camp for kids in an idyllic setting in western NJ, held some of her fondest memories.    

Jean ultimately decided to go to Seton Hall Law School and obtained her Law Degree.  After clerking for a judge and working for a major NJ law firm, Jean's professional life gravitated to legal practice in the world of finance.  She worked for major banks like Citigroup and Bank of New York and reached the pinnacle of her career as a Managing Director at Blackrock, an asset management firm.  She spent decades commuting from North Haledon, NJ, to legal/banking jobs in NYC, but despite the long commute, she always had boundless time and energy to devote to her family.    

Jean first met her husband, Keith, through mutual acquaintances in Clifton. The two later reconnected when she began frequenting his bar and joined the bar’s softball team that he coached. That friendship soon turned into a relationship.  After marrying in 1989, they bought a home in North Haledon, NJ, and raised two wonderful children there. They lived an active and adventurous life.  Jean and her husband were avid snow skiers and traveled to many ski resorts on the East and West Coasts.  Her children learned to ski at Jiminy Peak in the Berkshires.  Hiking has always been a favorite family pastime as well.  Jean and her family have trekked iconic trails in Acadia, Yosemite, Zion, Banff, and other National Parks and tackled countless other special nature trails across the country.  Jean’s sense of adventure and love of travel took her far and wide, to Hawaii, Peru, Iceland, Europe, to cities and towns across the US, and on one amazing cruise with the entire extended family down Alaska’s inside passage.

Throughout her life, Jean continuously adopted new hobbies and would dive headlong into new endeavors: dancing lessons, step aerobics, becoming fluent in Spanish, biking with a local bike club, and falling in love with playing Pickleball… her enthusiasm was infectious. To Jean, every day was “The Best Day Ever”. This was her favorite phrase. Each and every day was a gift to be cherished.  

The house her parents built on Center Pond in Massachusetts was a constant source of joy for Jean and her family.  Stories were told, games were played, meals were shared, campfires crackled until late in the evening…Family and friends converged together on any given week or weekend to swim and fish, to bike and kayak, to soak up the sun rays on the dock, and to take evening rides around the lake on a pontoon boat.  Jean always had a bottle of wine and a tray of appetizers at the ready and could whip up a meal for a crowd in a heartbeat.  Jean loved to waterski, and a bright summer’s day would find her behind the ski boat, rising out of the water on one ski and gracefully carving her way through the glistening water.  She taught countless people how to waterski, getting into the water with them, teaching and encouraging them, and cheering them on as they lifted out of the water for the very first time.

Jean could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, and make them feel like an instant friend.  Like her mother before her, Jean had a natural ability to connect with people.  She was effortlessly warm, endlessly personable, and always the one reaching out, checking in, and making others feel seen and loved.  She was a shining example of how to live life fully and love deeply.

While she had a natural gift for connecting with people and could strike up a conversation with anyone she met, the center of her world was always her family. Her children often said they felt like they had hit the lottery having Jean as their mom. She truly lived for them and filled life with adventures and meaningful moments. Any free time she had was spent planning something fun, whether it was a spontaneous trip to the city with Kristy, a peaceful hike with Keith, bike rides, visits to the farm, game nights, or even something as simple as going for a massage together. She believed life was meant to be experienced and shared with the people you love, embracing both the little everyday joys and extraordinary adventures. Over the years, those adventures included skydiving together, sand skiing in Peru, ATVing in Banff, ziplining in Vancouver, scuba diving in Jamaica, and dog sledding after taking a helicopter ride over the glaciers in Alaska. Becoming “Mimi” to her beloved grandchildren, Kendall and Cameron, was one of the greatest joys of her life. They were the light of her world, and she cherished every moment she spent with them.  Even during the most difficult year of her illness, she remained determined to be present for them, continuing to make memories and fill their time together with love and joy.  Her resilience, strength, and deep devotion to her family were truly remarkable.

Jean is predeceased by her mother and father, Jack and Barbara Engels; her husband, Keith Shedlock; her sister, Virginia Dotzler; her cousin, Kathy Black; and numerous Aunts and Uncles.

Jean is survived by her two devoted children, Kristy Kraljic (and her husband Peter) and Keith Shedlock (and his fiancé Jenna Irwin), and her cherished grandchildren, Kendall and Cameron Kraljic.  She is also survived by her brother, John Engels, his wife, Sharon, and her sister, Susan Engels.  She was a caring and giving Aunt to her nieces, Katie and Jenna Engels, and to her nephew, JT Engels, and his wife, Julia.

Refusing to let her diagnosis define her, Jean continued to plan trips, make amazing memories with her family, date Bob – a truly wonderful and generous man who became part of the family - and tried to live her life to the fullest right up to the last moments.  She was an inspiration to all.  We will miss her unbridled energy, her unfaltering spirit, her kindness, her laughter, and her fierce love and devotion to family and friends.  But even superheroes need to rest.  We take solace knowing she is out of pain and at peace – and her legacy will endure in the hearts of her family, friends, and all who were fortunate enough to have known her.

Visitation will be held Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ. The funeral service will be held during the visitation at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Please visit www.vpfh.com to leave condolences to the family on the Tribute Wall section of the online obituary.

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