Page 19 - 2021 Summer CMTA Report

Why SHE GAve:
Sled hockey was one of the
many ways Joan worked to
stay physically active.
It seems only fitting that the
memorial service for Jean Nibbe
included a game of Munzee.
Like the online/real-life scavenger
hunt, Jean was vibrant, engaging
and full of life.
Jean was born in 1965 in Salt Lake
City, Utah. She spent three years
there before moving with her family to
Seattle, where she remained for the
rest of her life.
Jean worked in the parts department
at truck manufacturer PACCAR for 25
years, but she wasn’t defined by her
job as much as her outside interests
and her volunteer work. She was
an advisor with the scrapbooking
company Creative Memories and
she made greeting cards for Project
“Write Home” for military personnel.
She loved gardening and volunteered
at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens
for many years, even winning the
President’s Volunteer Award in 2012. that there would be a second meeting.
In addition to Munzee, Jean enjoyed
traveling, the outdoors, spending
time with friends and family and
Geocaching, in which participants
use GPS to hide and seek containers
called geocaches at specific locations
marked by coordinates all
over the world.
JEAN NIBBE
Her motto was “Live for Today,” and her
legacy will help others with CMT do that.
The two shared a love of travel and
planned to go to the Greek Islands on
their honeymoon, but then they won
a contest for two round-trip business-
Jean’s father had CMT Type 2, as did class tickets around the world. Jim was
his three siblings, so Jean knew she excited at the thought of a world tour,
had it from a very early age. She didn’t but Jean said she knew she would be
tired from the wedding festivities and
let CMT define her, or slow her down: just wanted to lie on a beach. They
In her youth, she was an avid softball compromised by lying on beaches in
player, though, like many people with Rio de Janiero, Malta and Bali.
CMT, she was often chosen last for
teams. Jean began swimming more as her CMT
progressed, loving the ease that being
But she persevered, knowing how in water gave her. She often said that
important it was to stay active and she “felt normal” when she was in water
preserve her muscle mass. She and loved to go snorkeling in places like
participated in dragon boat racing
and sled hockey and was invited to the Virgin Islands and Hawaii.
try out for the U.S. sled hockey team. There was a lot less travel in recent
She even led a Boy Scout troop on a years, but Jean could still mountain
hike from Seattle to the Golden Gate bike and Whistler was another favorite
Bridge. vacation destination. She also contin-
ued making cards until just last year
Ironically, Jean grew to love teams when she started to lose hand function.
because they motivated her to stay
active, take part in a group and An active member of the Seattle
contribute to society. branch, Jean left more than $70,000
Jean and her husband Jim met on a to the CMTA because of the way CMT
blind date and it was initially unclear affected her and her family. Her motto
was “Live for Today,” and her legacy
But Jim was persistent, and another will help others with CMT do that. Her
memory is most certainly a blessing—
date followed. Being the up-front kind to all who knew her and to all who will
of person that she was, Jean told Jim benefit from her generosity.
about her CMT and that she wouldn’t
have kids because of it. She was
reluctant to begin a relationship, but
Jim assured her that they were “just
dating” and it would be okay. They
married in 1998.
MAKING GREETING CARDS
for Project “Write Home” for
military personnel was one of
the many ways Jean shared
her generous spirit.
SUMMER 2021 THE CMTA REPORT 19