Jean Anne Strothman Tews

Jean Anne Strothman Tews, age 85, passed away on July 21st, 2026, in Mahtomedi, MN. Born February 24th, 1941 to Maurice and Anne Strothman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jean was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, a committed member of the church of St. John in the Wilderness, White Bear Lake, and a community activist for good government. Jean is survived by her husband of 62 years, J. Dixon Tews, and by their daughters Jennifer Tews (Bob) Shultz, and SallyJean Tews (David) Penna, and pre-deceased by daughter Anne Marjorie Tews (Christian) Schwab. Also survived by grandchildren Anna Shultz (Wes) Nuhn, Jack Shultz, Abby Shultz, Jorie Schwab, J.D. Schwab, Reggie Schwab, Louis Schwab, Katie Penna, Rocco Penna, and great-grandchildren Maxwell Nuhn, Adeline Nuhn, and Bennett Nuhn. Jean is also survived by her siblings Jack (Barb) Strothman, Chuck (Barb) Strothman, and Lynne (Ron) Pilgrim and their families.

Jean was a graduate of Minneapolis West High School Class of 1959, and received a BA from Wells College, Aurora New York, 1963, and a MA in Library Science from the University of Minnesota, 1964. Jean married J. Dixon Tews in 1964.

Jean was a reference librarian at the University of Minnesota until starting a family. She followed in the footsteps of her suffragist grandmother and great grandmother by becoming heavily involved in the League of Women Voters of Minnesota (LWVMN). She lobbied at the MN state legislature and nationally. She coordinated candidate debates and presided over the organization as the LWVMN State President. She loved her many years as a community volunteer and lobbyist on behalf of the LWVMN. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She served on the State of Minnesota Judicial Commission for the Tenth Judicial District, was the Director of the Minnesota Center for Women in Government at Hamline University and was an initial member of the MN State Board of Legal Certification. Jean was the recipient of the LWVMN's Hope Washburn Award for outstanding service and received the Founding Feminist Award from the Ramsey County Women's Political Caucus. After her service as LWVMN State President she joined the staff as Development Director, gaining vital skills in fundraising. From that position she later served with great joy as Development Director for the Minnesota Humanities Commission. She coordinated the Power of Three Capital Campaign on behalf of the LWVMN and the Minnesota Women's Consortium to renovate the Minnesota Women's Building in St. Paul.

Jean was introduced to a life-long love of sports while growing up in the Minneapolis Kenwood neighborhood along with her three siblings, Jack, Chuck and Lynne. Through pick-up tennis games in Kenwood Park and on to the West High tennis team; learning to ski the hills in Theodore Wirth Park on her Aunt's old hickory skis with bear trap bindings; and sailboat racing on Lake Calhoun, where she was the Class X Champion. As the years passed, her Class X championship trophy shared shelf space in the family home with many additional yachting trophies earned over the years by Jean, Dixon, and their daughters. Sailboat racing continued as a great interest through yacht club memberships on Lakes Calhoun, Harriet, and White Bear, as well as through traveling to many other lakes and yacht clubs in the Inland Lakes Yachting Association in Minnesota, Wisconsin and lowa. Skiing also became a special family sport and activity where the family took many trips to challenge the hills of Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as the mountains of Colorado, Utah, and Montana. First the trips included the children, and then the grandchildren. Jean grew up in the Girl Scouts, participating from Brownies to "Flying Up" to older scouting classes, and continuing all the way through her high school years with her mother as scout leader.

Jean met her husband Dixon during her "Junior Year Abroad" at the University of Minnesota. She took this year off from her studies at Wells College and met Dixon through the Greek Campus Carnival show, "The Return of the Sheik", performed by the Men of Beta Theta Pi (with Dixon on guitar in the ballyhoo band) and the sisters of Kappa Alpha Theta (with Jean as a harem girl in the inside tent show). Jean and Dixon immediately connected through a mutual interest in sailing and the rest is history! They were married and lived near their C and D boats on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis and then moved to Mahtomedi on White Bear Lake to sail as a team on an M16 and other inland scows on the bigger lake. Many years of good friends at the White Bear Yacht Club followed with participation in tennis and golfing accompanying the sailboat racing and regattas.
Jean and Dixon's church home has been St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in White Bear Lake. All of their children participated as acolytes, in junior choir, youth group, and playing trumpet for special services on Christmas and Easter. Dixon helped to lead a search for a new Casavant Frees organ in 2000 while Jean found a calling to establish an endowment fund for the Church as well as the Heritage Society to recognize donors wishing to leave a legacy for St. John's. All three of the Tews girls were married at St. John's Church.

In the City of Mahtomedi, Jean enjoyed taking an active role as a community activist and committed feminist. She was a president of the Mahtomedi Club, served on the Mahtomedi Planning Commission, and for many years was a Washington County Election Judge for the City of Mahtomedi.

Jean will be remembered as a kind, caring and loving person. Jean was dedicated to her family, to her community and to advocating for the rights of all citizens of this nation. Most of all, Jean loved her husband of more than 62 years, Dixon, and her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The one great sadness in her life was the death of daughter Anne at the way-too-young age of forty-five in 2016. Anne was a talented musician and writer who brought love and laughter to all who knew her.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the following organizations that were of importance to Jean: Church of St. John in the Wilderness, 2175 1st Street, White Bear Lake, MN 55110; League of Women Voters Minnesota, 546 Rice Street, Suite 200, Saint Paul, MN 55103. No flowers please. Jean's service is being planned and the information will be added onto this website when available.