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Jeanne Marie Sargent, 94, of Weirton, WV, formerly of Myrtle Beach, SC, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2026, in Weirton.
Jeanne was born on March 24, 1932, in Clarksburg, WV, one of four children born to the late Frank and Mary Intrieri Cimino. She grew up in Weirton and graduated from Steubenville Central Catholic High School with the Class of 1950.
On November 22, 1956, Jeanne married John Wesley Sargent. Together, they built a beautiful life centered around their six children, five daughters and a son, and the family that would eventually grow to include nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Jeanne was truly a woman ahead of her time. Intelligent, ambitious, hardworking, and blessed with a natural ability to connect with people, she was both a trailblazer in the business world and the heart of her family. Along with three other individuals, she helped establish American International, a freight forwarding company, where her business acumen, determination, and exceptional financial skills helped build a successful enterprise. She eventually retired as the company’s finance manager, an accomplishment that reflected her pioneering spirit and remarkable work ethic.
Yet, for all her professional success, Jeanne’s greatest pride and joy was always her family. She was the quintessential Italian mother and grandmother: loving, fiercely devoted, generous, and compassionate, but also strong-willed, strict, and wonderfully no-nonsense. Jeanne had a heart of gold, but her children knew she meant business. She was famously quick with a spatula, either serving up a delicious homemade pizza or correcting her children! Beneath that firm exterior was a beautiful soul, a joyful spirit, and a woman whose love for her family knew no bounds.
Family traditions were especially important to Jeanne. Her Christmas Eve celebrations, complete with the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes, were legendary. Her home was filled with delicious food, lively conversation, laughter, and the warmth of generations gathered around the table. Those celebrations were more than holiday dinners; they were expressions of her heritage, her hospitality, and her deep love for the people she held dear. This tradition still carries with her daughter as she hosts Christmas Eve at her home.
Jeanne also possessed an extraordinary mind and a competitive spirit. An accomplished card player, she was affectionately known as a “card wizard,” and anyone who sat across the table from her quickly learned that she was a formidable opponent. Her remarkable memory and natural gift for numbers extended well beyond her accounting career. She could recall Major League Baseball statistics with astonishing accuracy, regularly found herself among the winners of March Madness basketball pools, and enthusiastically cheered for WVU football and Coastal Carolina baseball.
Retirement did little to slow Jeanne down. Never one to sit still, she generously volunteered her time at Conway Medical Center and enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie of her card clubs. She appreciated the finer things in life, particularly the theater and symphony, and found simple pleasure in watching classic movies on television.
Whether she was managing a company’s finances, winning a card game, cheering on her favorite team, or preparing a holiday meal for her family, Jeanne approached life with intelligence, enthusiasm, and an unmistakable personality. She was a woman of substance and strength, yet also remarkably sweet, compassionate, and joyful. She could command a boardroom, run a household, and warm a room with her presence. Above all, she was a mother and grandmother whose love was constant, whose wisdom was invaluable, and whose influence will be felt for generations.
Jeanne nourished her deep and devoted Catholic faith as a member of Saint James Roman Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach, SC, and Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church in Weirton, WV. She was also a member of the Christian Mothers.
In addition to her parents, Jeanne was preceded in death by her beloved husband, John Wesley Sargent, who passed away on February 25, 2019; her brother, Frank Cimino; her sisters, Mary Frances Varner and Joan Riggs; and her son-in-law, James Nestor.
She will be remembered with love and admiration by her son, John F. (Jennifer) Sargent; her five daughters, Mary Ann (Stephen) Seey, Linda Nestor, Judy (James) Grill, Kathleen Frederick, and Patricia (Daniel) McCarthy; her nine grandchildren, Stephen P. and Martin B. Seey, Delanie Nestor, Jerrod Grill, Bradley and Chadwick Sargent, and Ian, Brendan, and Maira McCarthy; and her five great-grandchildren, Liam James, Ava Marie, Dakota, Cameron, and Parker.
Visitation will be held on Sunday from 2:00 until 5:00 PM at the Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home, 3219 Main Street, Weirton, WV.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Monday at Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church in Weirton.
Interment will follow at Saint Paul Cemetery in Weirton.
Memorial contributions may be made in Jeanne’s memory to the Franciscan Sisters, T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother 369 Little Church Road Toronto, OH, 43964. https://franciscansisterstor.org
Share tributes and memories at www.grecohertnick.com.