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'Queen of Rainier Beach' remembered
There is no shortage of awards and acknowledgements for Jean Veldwyk, who was a trail blazer and fierce advocate for the Rainier Beach and Rainier Valley community.
SEATTLE - Many in the Seattle area are mourning the loss of a woman some called "the queen of Rainier Beach." She wasn’t a city official, she wasn’t part of a non-profit. She was simply a woman who would recognize issues in the community, and spring into action, doing whatever was needed to fix it.
There is no shortage of awards and acknowledgements for Jean Veldwyk, a trail blazer and fierce advocate for the Rainier Beach and Rainier Valley communities in Seattle. But the impact of her passing is most apparent by the grief of the people who’s lived she touched.
"She is an excellent example of unconditional love," says her niece, Bonnie Veldwyk.
Even for those who can’t put their love for her into words, like her rescue poodle Peaches, the loss is clear.
"It’s just so sad to watch Peaches grieve her so much…I just told her, she's not coming back Peaches," says Bonnie.
Up until her death on Sunday, 89-year-old Jean Veldyk remained involved and invested in making Rainier Beach a better place, beginning in 1962 when Jean did something unheard of at the time. "
She was a risk taker, always," says Bonnie.
In her own words in a recent interview with the Rainier Beach Chamber of Commerce, of which she was the first female president, Jean described her experience opening up her real estate company.
"The people in the area were surprised that a woman would do this. In fact I was told by several neighbors, in good faith, 'Jean you'll never make it,’ so I just said, ‘Watch me.’"
Her business, Veldyke Realty, would go onto be very successful and she continued to work there up until she passed.
Jean was widely known for helping people down on their luck, especially women in tough situations who didn’t have money upfront.
"Jean trusted them and would let them have an apartment, and I don't think anybody ever failed her," says Seattle Police Detective Cookie Boulin.
Pretty soon Jean made the entire community her business. She formed the South Seattle Crime Prevention Council. On her own she sought out funding to keep multiple community centers open.
"If she had a vision she went for it, and somehow she figured out how to complete it, successfully, and that was just her," says Bonnie.
She was known to go around and look for cracks in the sidewalk, streetlights that were out, and see to it they were repaired. She worked tirelessly to help beautify the area and keep local businesses afloat.
"She’s not about having a meeting and then another meeting and a whole bunch of meetings, that’s not Jean. She'll have one meeting, figure out what’s wrong, figure out what’s needed and then find the solution," says Detective Cookie.
Detective Cookie says when she launched her chess club for South Seattle youth, everyone told her it wouldn’t work, except for Jean. Jean believed in the club, and Detective Cookie, and helped her get it off the ground.
"We became family."
Detective Cookie says Jean went from her mentor to mother figure, and she is so thankful she got to say goodbye.
"I just rubbed her arm and held her hand and thanked her for all she's done and that we're never going to forget and that we love her so much, I didn't want to let go of her."
"This world is not going to be the same without her," says Bonnie.
Loved ones of Jean say they hope people will help carry on her legacy by emulating her drive to be a problem solver in their community.
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