Jean Ashleigh Harpster
2006
Jean Ashleigh Harpster, 79, a retired elementary school teacher in Prince George's County, died after a stroke Aug. 10 at Laurel Regional Hospital. She lived in Laurel.
Mrs. Harpster taught for 15 years at Beacon Heights Elementary School in Riverdale and, before that, at Woodridge Elementary in Hyattsville for two years. She retired in 1988 and pursued her interests in aviation and space education and published several articles on those topics in a local newspaper and an educators' newsletter.
She was an Alexandria native who was raised in Washington. She graduated from  Eastern High School. During World War II, she worked for the FBI and the Bureau of Public Roads, now part of the Commerce Department. She graduated from the University of Maryland, where she also received a master's degree in education in 1967 and 30 additional hours toward a doctorate.
Mrs. Harpster won a Maryland senior citizens' writing award from then-Gov. William Donald Shaefer in 1990. She was also an advocate for the mentally disabled, volunteering with a number of organizations, including Calmra in Beltsville, where she served on the board. She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church, Lanham Methodist Church and Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Laurel. She was also a member of Seniors of Scaggsville.
Her husband of 57 years, Ivan L. Harpster, died in 2002. Two children also preceded her in death: Ivan C. Harpster in 1967 and Kristine Joan Harpster in 1953.
Survivors include two daughters, Sheila Saville of Laurel and Karen Harpster of Silver Spring; two grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.