Mary Jeannette "Jean" Love, age 78, of O'Fallon, Ill., passed away April 17, 2025 at her home.

Jean, as she was known by her family and friends, was born in 1946 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Joseph John and Mildred Lee, nee Broome, Wagner. She grew up in Grand Rapids, Hattiesburg, Mississippi and the Metro East area of the St. Louis (MO-IL) metropolitan area.

She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in psychology at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.

In her early career she was a consultant on federal policy in Washington, D.C. Later she became Director of the Walton County Guidance Clinic in Defuniak Springs, Florida. She also served in management roles for federally funded projects in a partnership between government consulting contractors Mathematica and the Urban Institute in Mobile, Alabama and Princeton, New Jersey. This work included oversight of social policy research especially relating to poverty alleviation.

She was married to Wendell Cox.

In addition to her husband, she is also survived by her son Robert Eric Love and his adult children Joshua and Grace who live in the Indianapolis area; as well as her brother Joseph Stanley Wagner who lives in the San Francisco area.

Online condolences may be shared with the family through Wolfersberger Funeral Home, O'Fallon, Illinois at www.wfh-ofallon.com