Jocelyne - Jueneman

Jocelyne Jueneman

Loving Mother and Grandma

Jocelyne Jueneman was born in France on July 31, 1940, less than a year after the start of World War II. Her father, Sebastian, was French, and her mother, Rafaela, was Spanish, so Jocelyne grew up knowing both languages, but spoke primarily French. The family had been in Oran, Algeria, a French colony at the time, at the end of World War II. She fondly recalled being liberated by American soldiers who gave her chocolate, perhaps starting her sweet tooth and specific affinity for all things with cocoa in them.

The Algerian Revolution, which started in the 1950s and ended in the early 1960s, saw the native population revolt against French colonists, and altered the course of Jocelyne’s life. She recalled a day when she was in danger and her kind native Algerian boss hid her under a pile of burlap sacks in his truck and drove her to the border, where she took a boat back to France with her family. After her sister Marcelle and Marcelle’s husband, Roland Darcy, had been sponsored by an American couple to move to the United States and attain American citizenship, the Darcys, in turn, sponsored Jocelyne to come to Rialto, California, where they had settled, and become a citizen as well. To do this, Jocelyne had to study hard and show proficiency in a third language - English.

Jocelyne met her soon-to-be husband, Merlin Jueneman, a pharmacist, at a neighborhood barbecue on the Darcys’ block. Merlin, who did not live on the block, had been invited by the host, his coworker at Thrifty Drug store. Jocelyne and Merlin married on Nov. 29, 1965.

Five years later, Jocelyne gave birth to her only child, her daughter, Lynette. She gave up her job as a bookkeeper with the Kayser-Roth corporation (a hosiery manufacturer most famous for the No Nonsense brand of pantyhose) to devote her time to being a mother, which she excelled at. Jocelyne knew that education was a passport to a better life, and she instilled the importance of academics to her daughter.

Perhaps more importantly, though she was generally shy and reserved, Jocelyne instilled a sense of caring and empathy for those who became part of her life. She enjoyed sharing tea with those she befriended and/or loved, serving it almost regally when you were a guest in her home, but often expecting the same if she was a guest in your home. Despite her adherence to certain customs or manners, she never took herself too seriously and had an exuberant sense of humor.

When she wasn’t busy being a mother and wife, Jocelyne enjoyed sewing. From creating new outfits for herself or her daughter to just fixing her daughter’s torn jeans with iron-on embroidery patches, Jocelyne enjoyed working with clothing. She also enjoyed knitting, whether it was blankets, sweater vests or doll clothes.

Jocelyne had a small collection of Barbie, baby and international dolls that her own daughter envied. She enjoyed displaying them, and periodically changed their clothing and restyled their hair. She would let her daughter play with them on condition they were treated well and that her daughter understood they were still Jocelyne’s dolls. Asked once why she was so possessive of the dolls, Jocelyne said it was because she did not have many dolls or other toys during wartime. Besides the dolls, Jocelyne also liked little knickknacks of butterflies or cats. But she never collected anything to excess and showed gratitude for what she had.

What Jocelyne loved most was caring for and spending time with her family. In the 1970s and 1980s, her bookkeeper skills, savvy coupon cutting and sale shopping helped her family of three afford vacations to places such as Hawaii and Europe. When Merlin retired in 1994, the empty nesters followed the Darcys to Las Vegas to enjoy nickel slot machines, video poker, shows and the occasional buffet dinner. But in 2003, four months and a day after Roland Darcy died, Merlin passed, too. When Marcelle was shortly after confirmed to have Alzheimer’s, Jocelyne was her sister’s caretaker for several years. During this time, Jocelyne also had a mastectomy for early stage breast cancer. She rarely complained during these tough times.

In 2005, Jocelyne became a grandma and moved to Corona, California, to be closer to her daughter and granddaughter. She was a welcome take-along on vacations with her daughter’s family. She eagerly took every opportunity to babysit her granddaughter and to attend her dance recitals and soccer games. She spoke excitedly of her granddaughter’s future and would have loved to attend any of her graduation ceremonies if she had been able.

Finally, Jocelyne loved Christmas. The baking part, especially, because it meant she could share treats with the family she loved spending time with. The hazelnut cookie recipe she made at holiday time will live on.

Jocelyne passed from this life at age 84 on November 27, 2024, one day before Thanksgiving and two days before what would have been her 59th wedding anniversary with Merlin. Alzheimer’s eventually robbed her of her ability to enjoy travel over the nearly 12-year course it took with her. In recent years, it also robbed her of her speech, silencing a French accent she never overcame and was always a little self-conscious of, but that everybody who knew her loved, including the staff of her memory care home, who said she was their favorite resident. Somehow, even Alzheimer’s could not rob her of her endearing nature, and she maintained her dignity until her last breath.

Jocelyne is survived by her daughter, Lynette Jueneman-Ybarrondo, son-in-law Paul Ybarrondo and granddaughter Merlina Ybarrondo of Corona, California. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Donald Jueneman, and his wife, Fran, of Minnesota. She is also survived by nieces and nephews in the United States and Europe.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Merlin Roger Jueneman; her sister Marcelle Darcy, her brother-in-law Roland Darcy; her sister Odette Levi; her sister Fernand Pagan, her brother-in-law Richard Jueneman; and her sister-in-law Karen Hamman (Jueneman).

The family suggests donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or American Cancer Society in her honor.