Jean King Blakeslee-Malpus (Jeanie), 83, died of natural causes in her home in Hedding, NJ on Monday, April 20, 2020 with her daughter and granddaughter by her side.

Jean was born in City Island, the Bronx, NY, before moving to the Bordentown, NJ area, where her mother worked at Fort Dix during WWII. Jean graduated from William MacFarland High School and settled in Bordentown with her high school sweetheart, Steve Blakeslee, where they raised their three daughters, Kim, Karen and Pam, before Steve's death in 1972. Jean graduated from the Donnelly College Nursing Program in Trenton and worked as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital. She was an avid reader and loved writing; she recalled her days as a journalist with the Bordentown Register with great fondness. Jean served as Bordentown Township Municipal Clerk, and worked hard into her 70's, when she retired from the State of New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles.

Jean enjoyed traveling and was especially fond of Ireland, where she visited many times with friends and family. She loved to sing and was an active member of the church choir. She believed in community engagement and was among the first women to be inducted as a member of the Bordentown Elks Lodge 2085. Above all, Jean's door was always open to anyone in need. She was at her best when caring for strays of all kinds, human, feline or otherwise.

Jean was a devoted mother and grandmother, and a loyal friend. She is predeceased by her parents, Harry and Eloise King (nee Pierce) of New York; two daughters, Karen and Pamela and her first husband, Stephen Blakeslee, all of Bordentown, NJ; and her late husband, Colin Malpus of Manchester, England. She is survived by her daughter Kim and son-in-law, Robert of Harvey Cedars, NJ; granddaughter Courtney of Washington, DC; grandson Ryan, his wife Kara, and two great-grandchildren, Boden and Gates Sexton, all of Montpelier, VT; her "second grandson," Jason Arroyo, of Hamilton, NJ; family "across the pond"; and special life-long friends.

A memorial service will be held at a later date, when we can safely gather to celebrate Jean's life. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in Jean's name to Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter , The Farm Sanctuary , Morris Animal Refuge , or any animal welfare organization or shelter in need. Arrangements are under the direction of Peppler Funeral Home, Bordentown, NJ.