Kaelene Ann Stein passed away peacefully on June 1, 2019 at the age of 71 at Friendship Village in Tempe, AZ after battling Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.
Kaelene was born in Omaha, Nebraska on February 3, 1948 to Thomas and Darlene Jaeger, as the eldest of four children. Raised Catholic, she attended St. Pious X elementary school and Marian High School in Omaha, before earning a Bachelor’s Degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She later earned her Master’s Degree from Northern Arizona University.
Kaelene was an elementary school teacher in Nebraska and Arizona, before retiring after 40 years. Upon leaving the classroom she undertook the new challenge of traveling to schools across the Southwest as a math trainer to other teachers. She had a positive influence, both directly and indirectly, on the education of thousands of kids over more than four decades.
The only thing Kaelene was more passionate about than her work was her family. Married to husband, Ronald, for nearly 49 years, they raised two amazing, intelligent, and humble children, Jeremy and Brittany.
Nothing brought Kaelene more joy though than being a grandmother. She leaves behind three beautiful grandchildren: Dahlia (11), Brandon (7) and John (1).
Per Kaelene’s wishes, she was cremated. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, July 20 at 10 a.m. at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery in Mesa, Arizona. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Kaelene’s name to Hospice of the Valley.