Sara Jean Pennington Wren
January 30, 1939 – July 25, 2017
Dr. Jean Wren, 78, of Friendswood, Texas, passed away to the Lord peacefully surrounded by family and friends July 25, 2017. She was born in Amory, Mississippi on January 30, 1939 to Roland and Sara Pennington.
Jean devoted her life to education, and had an impressive career in Friendswood ISD. Beginning as a teacher, Jean soon became a school assistant principal and then a principal. She then assumed the additional responsibilities of Community Education Coordinator, Vocational Administrator, Director of Instructional Programs and Director of Special Education for the district. In 1977, she was named Assistant Superintendent for Instruction of FISD, becoming one of the very first females to assume such a role in Texas education. She retired from FISD in 1994.
Dr. Wren went on to serve as an educational consultant and adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, UH-Clear Lake, UH-University Park, and Texas A&M University. Jean held a long standing leadership role in helping advance the seven county Region 4 Education Center, where she wrote and organized the Title I reading program. She has published many articles on educational topics, and received many awards and grants, including Who’s Who of American Women, and a certificate of appreciation for civic work from the City of Friendswood. Jean served on the board of directors of the First Educators Credit Union (later Smart Financial) for many years. She also served as a longtime board member of the Regency Estates Home Owners Association.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Roland and Sara Pennington.
She is survived by her sons, Patrick Robert Wren and wife, Amy; Kiley John Wren and wife Melissa; grandchildren, Sophia, Noah, and Savannah; brother, Roland Randolph Pennington Jr.; sister, Ann Manning; loving partner Ed Cousins, his children, Daniel Cousins, Sandra Stanford and husband Chad, and their children, Chase, Clayton and Connor.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 28, 2017 in the Chapel of Forest Park East Funeral Home, 21620 Gulf Freeway, Webster, TX. The family will receive friends one hour prior to service. Jean will be laid to rest in the Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77077.
