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Jean-Marie Heskett October 15, 1935 - October 28, 2022 Jean-Marie "Jerry" Heskett was born Jean-Marie Faggiano in Shanghai, China, on October 15, 1935. Her father, Gene, worked for the Dollar Steamship Company, also known as the Dollar Line (later to become the American President Lines), and was stationed overseas. The family moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong, then to Cebu, Philippines, and finally to Manila, where they lived until the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II in December 1941. The Faggiano family, along with more than 3,600 non-nationals living in the Philippines, were taken prisoner by Imperial Japanese forces and spent the next thirty-seven months as civilian POWs at the Santo Tomas internment camp in Manila until their liberation by the 1st Cavalry, the 37th Infantry, and the 44th Tank Battalion on February 3, 1945. The first time Jean-Marie set eyes on the United States was when her liberation ship, the USS Admiral W. L. Capps (AP-121), first approached the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, in April 1945. "It was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. For many of us, it was something we'd dreamed and prayed we'd live to see one day. It was the welcoming gate of freedom. As soon as it became visible, many of us cheered and celebrated. And just as many stood there on the deck and cried." Jean-Marie lived with her parents and went to school in San Rafael, California. She married Marshall McCoy in 1952 and had three children, Michael, Timothy, and Shannon. After their divorce, she married Jack Heskett and moved to Sonoma Valley in 1963. They had three children together, Kathleen, Jack, and Patrick. Jean-Marie and Jack were active in 4-H work with their children in Sonoma and were community leaders of the Valley of the Moon and the Rancho Bonita 4-H clubs for many years. The Valley of the Moon 4-H club was one of the largest in Sonoma County then, with over 100 members. Jean-Marie and her family moved to Santa Rosa, California, in 1975. She worked as a quality assurance inspector at Hewlett-Packard and stayed with the company as it became Agilent Technologies in 1999. Jean-Marie retired from HP/Agilent in 2003 after working for the company for 28 years. In 2006, Jean-Marie's eldest son, Michael, collaborated with her to write her autobiography, Through My Mother's Eyes. The book was published in 2008 and recalls Jean-Marie's experiences as a child POW at Santo Tomas. Shortly after the book's publication, Michael wrote the award-winning screenplay adaptation, Under the Rising Sun. Jean-Marie had a special love for veterans and was very involved with many veteran groups and organizations, including the American Legion Auxiliary and the Wounded Warrior Project. Every year, she knitted and delivered beautiful blankets for the veterans in veteran hospitals throughout the North Bay Area. Jean-Marie loved to travel and speak to groups about her experience as a POW during World War II. She was invited to be a guest speaker at many veteran and service organizations. She was also an honorary representative of the POW/MIA veterans in the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony in Sonoma. Jean-Marie was also a guest speaker at the unveiling ceremony of the POW/MIA Memorial in 2011 at Santa Rosa Memorial Park. Jean-Marie passed away from pancreatic cancer on October 28, 2022, in Santa Rosa, California, at 87 years of age. She is survived by her children, Michael (Angela) McCoy, Shannon (Frank) Zito, Kathleen Heskett, Jack Heskett, Patrick Heskett, and brother Jim Faggiano. She was predeceased by her husband, Jack Heskett, and son, Tim Heskett. She loved and cherished her 14 grandchildren and 16-one half great-grandchildren (the "half" grandchild will be born in January). Her service will be held on Friday, November 18, 2022, at noon at Daniels Chapel of the Roses in Santa Rosa, California, with a burial following at 2 p.m. at Santa Rosa Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/). In January of 2023, Jean-Marie will receive a posthumous medal and national recognition as an honored Woman in American History from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. A Celebration of Life for Jean-Marie is planned for Sunday, January 22, 2023, from 1:00- 3:00 p.m. at the Lodge Room of the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial building.
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