Jeanne Jard

Our dear mother, grandmother, and great grandmother Mildred Jeanne Little Jard, 96, passed away peacefully on June 23 in the presence of her family. Her sons called her Mom, but to all she was simply Jeanne.

Jeanne was born the only child of Henry LeBleu Little and Mary Powell Little on January 29, 1930 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she grew up, went to school, and was beloved by her family. She often said that she was unaffected by the Great Depression, but we think Mary and Henry had a lot to do with that.

Jeanne was Salutatorian of her class at Lake Charles High, and attended McNeese College for one year before transferring to LSU, where she was one of the first women there ever to earn a degree in Journalism. It was at LSU that she met D.D. Jones, then on his way to earning his Engineering degree after his Navy service. Jeanne and D.D. were married in September of 1950, remaining married for 30 years. They took up residence in Lafayette, Louisiana, then the center of the oil industry, where D.D. began his career as an oil field engineer, and Jeanne hers as a journalist. Jeanne had her own byline in the Lafayette newspaper, reporting the news of the day. Their son Michael was born in 1952, followed by a second son, Casey, in 1954.

In 1960, as the oil industry was making Houston its capital, the family moved there, and a third son, Daniel, was born in 1961. Jeanne and D.D. made Houston their lifelong home, raising their three sons and becoming part of the city’s dynamic and growing community. After the move to Houston Jeanne put her career aside to raise her family, but eventually her deep love of books led her to begin a new career as a bookseller, and she went to work for the Streich family at Bookland bookstores before acquiring her own business, River Oaks Bookstore, in 1980. It was there that Jeanne thrived, making her small store the book loving heart of the city, and where she presided over the last true independent bookstore in Houston for forty years until finally closing the doors in early 2021, on the eve of her 91st birthday. The closing was a loss to the city still felt by many to this day.

Satisfying another one of her passions, she began traveling the world with friends and family, visiting Europe, Russia, the Amazon, and Mexico. She believed that the experience of travel and immersion in other cultures was as vital to understanding as were books.

Jeanne was a voracious reader all her life, and took it upon herself to read every new book that appeared in her store, becoming the indispensable recommender in chief to all of her many friends and patrons. It was simply a given that if you wanted a good book, but weren’t sure which, she would invariably find you the perfect one. Her store was a true salon, where a daily crowd of regulars, including patrons, authors, and visitors, engaged in a lively exchange of ideas, opinions, and reviews. Jeanne also took her skills on the road, becoming a popular speaker at book clubs and other groups around town, always accompanied by a car full of books.

Jeanne is survived by her loving sons Michael Jones (Josie), Casey Jones (Kate Fallon), and Daniel Jones (Diane), her beloved grandchildren Erin Shephard (Warren), Elliot Jones (Samantha), Elizabeth Jones (Steven), and William Jones, by her dear great grandchildren Henry Shephard, Mary Shephard, and Levi Jones, and by step grandchildren Brian Williams (Martina), Matt Fallon (Nikita), and their beautiful children Savannah, Evelyn, Helena, and Clara Williams, and Skylar, Ryker, and Freya Fallon. All will miss her greatly.

Jeanne was a kind and loving Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother, and a Houston institution. She touched countless lives, and was a friend and an inspiration to all. A memorial service and celebration of her life is planned for Friday, July 24 at 10:30 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church. The family suggests donations to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation in lieu of flowers. It was dear to Jeanne’s heart.