Obituary: Helen Jean Bolton (July 16, 1941 – August 20, 2026)

Helen Jean Bolton, age 85, passed away on Aug. 20, 2026, surrounded by a loving circle of family and friends.

Helen Jean Bolton

Jean was born July 16, 1941, in New Mexico and grew up in Portland, Oregon. She married Ronald Dayle Bolton in March 1963. Ron, Jean, and their one-year-old daughter, Janet, moved to Juneau, Alaska in 1965 — the first of many big adventures in their marriage. Juneau became their home, where they raised their family.

Jean worked full-time for the State of Alaska Department of Labor while also running two businesses of her own. She created dried-flower arrangements and later became a soapstone carver, creating sculptures of walruses, seals, rookeries, and bears.

Jean also led a downtown beautification project with family and friends. She built and planted dozens of flower boxes, then enlisted her teenage children and their friends to hang the boxes on awnings and keep them watered, after getting permission from each business. It worked. There were more flowers in Juneau from that day forward.

Jean was generous, friendly, and outgoing. She loved helping tourists and welcoming visitors into the family home for dinners and entertainment. In that spirit, she once invited a bluegrass band into the home and hosted a dinner concert.

Travel was another great joy in Jean’s life. She and Ron traveled around the world, including trips to China, Mexico, parts of Europe, and many states throughout the United States.

Jean was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ronald Dayle Bolton, who passed away on July 11, 2020. Ron was an avid fisherman, hunter, golfer, and traveler. He was a wonderful father and husband with a playful spirit and a great sense of fun.

Jean and Ron are survived by their daughters, Janet Bolton and Julie Bolton O’Brien; son-in-law Michael O’Brien; and grandchildren Elliott and Wyatt, all of Seattle, Washington.

Jean had a beautiful life, full of adventure, kindness, love, and fun. Those who knew her will remember her warm and generous spirit and the way she made life brighter for the people around her.