Jean Stockard Lesley

Life Story of Mrs. Jean Vashti Stockard Lesley, 1930-2025 

Arriving in birth a few minutes apart from her fraternal twin sister Jane Elizabeth on February 21, 1930, Jean Vashti Stockard became the sixth child of the seven children born to Bessie Mae Morgan Stockard, who was a teacher, church pianist and homemaker, and Andy Russell Stockard, who was a Pullman car porter, custodian, violinist and Fisk Jubilee community singer. Her upbringing, which was molded by an active family life on Sylvan Street in east Nashville and later in south Nashville, formed her priorities of getting an education, developing her musical talent, and honing the cooking skills handed down from her mother and grandmother. While she and her twin sister showed promise in athletics, much like two of her older brothers Wilbur Ellis and Russell Leon and her youngest sister Bessie Ann, Jean was more attracted to her musical skills in voice, much like her father and three sisters Ida Marie, Jane, and Bessie, and to her talent in piano, much like her oldest brother Andrew (Andy) Morgan and her mother. 

Like her siblings, Jean attended Carter-Lawrence Elementary School, Meigs Junior High and Pearl High School in Nashville. With her twin, Jean played on the basketball team at Pearl, and she sang in the choir under the respected director Mattie Alice Battle while she focused on the techniques of music. Jean went on to complete her college education at Tennessee State University, and she then began a career of 4th and 5th grade public school teaching in east Tennessee and later at Carter-Lawrence and Whitsitt elementary schools in Nashville, where she completed her 55 years as an educator. Alongside her classroom teaching was Jean’s private piano teaching to over 40 students who were taught in her Tremont Street home and who were expected to participate in the annual recitals that Miss Stockard consistently organized over the years. 

During her early years, Jean was a member of Sylvan Street Baptist Church. Later she moved to Dalewood United Methodist Church where she served as president of the adult choir and maintained her lifelong membership. However, Jean’s musical expertise was also recognized in her work as the director of both the youth choir and the adult choir at the historic Braden Memorial United Methodist Church. It was during that time that Jean married George Winston Lesley, a realtor and restaurant entrepreneur, and they remained married until George’s passing in 2020. 

Always impeccably and stylishly dressed, Jean Stockard Lesley was equally articulate, whether she was rehearsing her choir members, teaching her students in class or at the piano, or motivating a group of athletes at a basketball game where her sister Bessie was coaching the team. Jean rarely hesitated to comment on or give her impression about community or popular issues, and her family and friends held her up as a beloved treasure. Regarding her culinary skills, Jean’s coveted pound cake was one of her signature treats, and the recipe was sought after but rarely disclosed.

 “Mama Jean,” as she was affectionately named by her former elementary pupil-turned longtime family friend, faithful companion, and facebook manager, Dr. Debra Tillery, is survived and appreciated by many others. At the top of the list is her devoted “baby” sister, Dr. Bessie Ann Frances Stockard, a college professor, tennis pro, and hall-of-famer basketball, volleyball, and golf coach, who visited and cared for her sister Jean without fail over the years. Also included in those who cherish Jean’s memory are the family members through the line of her late brother Russell Leon (R.L.) Stockard, Sr. that include her nieces Sharon Stockard Martin and Dr. Janice Stockard Dargan, nephew Dr. Russell Leon Stockard, Jr. (spouse Dr. M. Belinda Tucker); great nieces Dr. Sonja Martin Poole (spouse Damone Poole), Stephanie Monique Martin, Simone Elyse Martin-Newberry; grandnephews James Thomas Dargan (spouse Amanda Wild), Paul Andrew Dargan, Desmond Tucker Stockard, Daren Tucker Stockard; and great-grandnephews Malachi Vaughn Poole and Victor Isaiah Poole. Other acknowledged survivors are cousin Robert (Bobby) Stockard, Jr. and his family in Tennessee, cousin Clyde (Ricky) Gray and his family in Ohio, family members from the line of Jean’s late brother Wilbur E. Stockard in Illinois, and the family of Jean’s cousin Rose Legon Merritt in Florida. A host of other relatives, though unnamed here, are appreciated.

 We, as the family of Jean Stockard Lesley, celebrate our sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, for her 95 years of a life well-lived and for her energy, wisdom, and influence that impacted our lives