Jeanne Morgan, 95, of St. Petersburg, passed away peacefully on August 24, 2022. She was born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 20, 1926, as the second of six children to Adele Huot Schulz and David Schulz. She married Charles Valesky in 1947 and in 1951 the couple relocated to St. Petersburg to join her parents and siblings who moved here previously.
In 1952, Jeanne helped her husband establish the Charles B. Valesky Insurance Agency in St. Petersburg. Together they had three children, Susan Valesky Wasserman of South Pasadena, Karol Valesky Techton and Paul Michael Valesky, both of St. Petersburg.

Jeanne and Charles divorced in 1960, and being a single mother of that era, Jeanne quickly needed to find a way to support her family. She learned to drive, went to night school, worked part-time as an insurance secretary, and got her agent’s license. Her mother Adele helped to raise three small children while Jeanne was working and studying.

When the Civil Rights law passed in 1964, large insurance companies were forced to hire women as agents, and Allstate Insurance hired her as one of the first female insurance agents in Florida in 1967. She then mentored and shared her experience with potential lady agents to the chagrin of her bosses, who called her a “women’s libber”.

To deter the workplace sexual harassment of the “Mad Men” era, Jeanne felt the need to marry twice more, with both marriages being short-lived. “Getting married was never my idea!”, she’d often say. Later in life, she had a loving companion with whom she travelled extensively.

Jeanne worked for Allstate until 1996 . With her outgoing personality and interest in getting to know her clients, had built a very successful book of business. Once she left Allstate, she began the 4th Street Insurance Agency, which still exists after her retirement with manager Becky Launchi running the day-to-day operations.

Jeanne had a very happy and active retirement, traveling the world, entertaining family and friends, decorating and re-decorating her beach condo and discussing politics and the current events of the day. Close family and heartfelt generosity were most important in Jeanne’s life, and she was much loved and respected as the matriarch of her family.

Besides her three children, she is survived by her granddaughters Kasi Techton of St. Petersburg and Sara Wasserman of Brooklyn, NY, grandson Perry Techton of Seminole, brother Paul Schulz (Brenda) of St. Petersburg, sister Josephine Ellis of Albuquerque, NM, sister-in-law Sonia P. Schulz of St. Petersburg, – as well as many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Jeanne avidly studied spirituality, yoga philosophy and the postures beginning in the early 60’s when this was far from mainstream. These practices sustained her through the bad times and kept her young and vital well into her 90’s. A celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date, and any acts of kindness may be directed to Suncoast Hospice.