Giatana Jean Vinduska

Giatana Jean Alexander Vinduska lived, loved, prayed, and cared for others.

Jean was born on April 30, 1923 to Andrew and Mary Alexander in the Little Italy area of Omaha. She was the 5th of 6th children. Her siblings were Subby, Sam, Fred, Lucille, and Frank. They were a close-knit Italian family, and their home was always filled with an abundance of laughter and food. She always looked forward to the Santa Lucia Festival, when she received a new dress and was able to come together with all of her friends and family.

Jean went to Mason Elementary, then Tech High School. She first worked in Cosmetics at Woolworths, then made blueprints at the Bomber Plant, and then went on to work in the Sliced Bacon Department at Armour Packing Plant. It was at Armour's that she met Marcel, the love of her life. They married on June 25, 1949 at St. Ann's Catholic Church, and their love prospered just shy of 72 years until Marc's recent passing.

Jean was blessed with five children: Jarel, Gary, Marjean, John, and Laurie; five grandchildren: Justin, Brian, Brandon, Mike, and Michaela; 6 great-grandchildren: Breaire, Braedon, Chase, Trevor, Atticus, and Alina; and 1 great-great-grandchild: Oliver.

Jean was a wonderful cook and extraordinary hostess, always holding gatherings for friends and family. She was known for her famous ice cream cakes that graced every party. The food never ran out.

Jean enjoyed crafts, from ceramics and macrame to making tea towels and dressing up dolls. She was not afraid of hard manual work, and she helped build both Jarel and John's house in Alaska along with her Gretna home. You could find her splitting wood at the farm into her 90s. She also discovered a hidden talent of oil painting when she was close to 60, and in her 80s and 90s, her skill at playing table tennis. She competed for 10 years in the Nebraska Senior Games and each time returned with a medal.

Jean's battle with Alzheimer's disease did not ever rob her of her most important innermost qualities: her strong work ethic, her faith, her frugality, her care for others, and her deep love for her family and friends. Although this disease often influences a person's personality negatively, Jean's sweet, loving, gracious personality stayed constant throughout her nearly 15-year battle.

Rest in peace, Miss America.


Visitation will be from 5-7 pm, with Memorial Service at 7 pm at Good Shepherd Funeral Home on Monday, May 30. The Funeral Mass will be at 10 am at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Gretna on Tuesday, May 31 with lunch immediately following. Interment will follow at 2 pm at Omaha National Cemetery. Instead of flowers that will be short lived, the family requests the more lasting benefit of either a donation to the Nebraska Land Trust https://www.nelandtrust.org/ or Cure Alzheimer's Fund https://curealz.org/