January 6, 1949 – May 5, 2026
Jean Werner passed away on May 5, 2026, at the age of 77, after a battle with cancer.
She was born on January 6, 1949, in Bilwaskarma, Nicaragua, to the late Graham and Margaret Nelson. She is also preceded in death by her husband, Lou Werner. She is survived by her brother, Bob Nelson, and his family (sister-in-law Joan and nieces Jenny and Katie), as well as her cherished friend, Nahda Resen, who held the place of a sister in her heart. Voulishia Roberson was also a devoted caregiver and friend of Jean in the last years of her life. Jean had many, many loving friends around the world.
Jean became a born-again Christian in the early 1970s when she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. She enrolled at Columbia Bible College in South Carolina, where she met Lou Werner, who she married in 1985. They lived in Atlanta and were active members in several churches and faith communities there. After Lou’s passing from leukemia in 1993, Jean went on to serve as a missionary in Russia for several years. Jean also taught classes in English as a second language, where she made many friends in the international community in Auburn and Opelika.
She co-founded the Friends of Internationals group, which provides support and connection for international students. In her last years, she hosted a weekly Bible study group open to anyone. Jean was generous and always looking for ways to help people, especially single women in the faith who might be going through a rough patch.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Church in Opelika at 800 2nd Avenue at 11am on Saturday, May 9th. Visitation will be at 10am in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pioneers, a Christian Missionary Organization (pioneers.org).
She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
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