Obituary of Jean DeWitte Foreman Christ

Jean took her final bow last Sunday, September 24, 2017 at home in Soquel, CA, surrounded by loving family. Jean was born in Charlotte, NC on April 10, 1921 to Ruby and William Foreman. She spent formative time with her grandparents, Carrie and John DeWitte Stroupe, both in the town of Charlotte and in her beloved mountains by Lake Lure. At 14, she founded her own dancing school in Charlotte, and later banded together with several other Charlotte youths to form the Big Apple Dancers. At 16, Jean and the Big Apple Dancers won a prestigious dance award, and were granted a once in a lifetime trip to New York City to perform at the Roxy Theater. Jean never looked back, and went on to dance in many nightclubs and revues, both as a featured solo artist and as one half of the lauded team of Spencer & Foreman with her dance partner, Lou Spencer. During this time, Jean also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and her experiences there landed her contracts as a dancer, choreographer, and dance director for a series of Warner Brothers' shorts, and several feature films, including Thank Your Lucky Stars, Rhythm Parade, and Call Me Mister. She was very proud to have been one of the youngest members of the Screen Actors Guild (joined in 1937), and remained an active member for 80 years. Some of her favorite experiences during this part of her life, which she dubbed the "first part of showbiz", were performing with big name bands such as Kay Kyser and the Dorsey Brothers. She loved to recount tales of making her mother's famous Southern fried chicken for them all while on tour. The United States' entry into WWII signaled big changes for the country, and Jean did her part by dedicating herself to entertaining the troops as a USO dancer, mainly in the Philippines. She also had the opportunity to learn to fly small planes, which earned her the moniker '"Crash Foreman". When the war was over, Jean returned to New York to start her family, but not before appearing on one of television's very first shows, a musical soap opera entitled Song and Dance. While raising her family on Long Island, NY, Jean created the Pixiekin Puppets. She went on to perform at many private celebrations, public events, and several television specials. Her special skills as a puppeteer led to her traveling the globe on cruise ships. In the 1980's, Jean relocated to Aptos, CA with her beloved husband, Phil. She continued not only with puppetry, but with choreography and mentoring a new generation of performers through lessons and lectures. Jean found a niche in Santa Cruz County's charitable works, donating time and talent to the Public Library system, nursing homes, and local outreach programs. Another one of her favorite projects was the World's Shortest 4th of July Parade in Aptos, for which she won several blue ribbons for puppetry and float design. Jean's political involvement ranged from actively campaigning for Adlai Stevenson, to becoming a member of President Obama's 'Kitchen Cabinet'. She regularly sent him long missives about the excellent job he was doing; she was quite disappointed when he returned her personal check for "anything you want" with the explanation that "Presidents of the U.S.A. cannot take direct donations". Jean is predeceased by her loving husband of 36 years, Philip J. Christ, and survived by her children Melissa Berrenge-Browde (Ian) of Santa Cruz, CA, and Michael Knopf (Janice) of Northport, NY; her step-daughter Julie Christ (Dan) of Connecticut; her grandchildren, Joshua Lipira (Christine) of New Paltz, NY, Tristan DeWitte Charney of Ashland, OR, Hayley Knopf of Northport, NY, and Carrie DeWitte Browde of Santa Cruz CA, and her great-grandchildren, Annalise and Hurley Lipira of New Paltz, NY. The family wishes to express gratitude for her exceptional caregivers. "With Jean there was always another story to tell. Always another routine to remember. Always another song to sing. "We'll sleep tomorrow." Yet, end, it had to. How empty the stage suddenly seems! Who could have imagined that this pretty petite could occupy so much space? A celebration of her live will be planned for the future.