Jean Catherine Muscat

On Friday, September 1st, 2017 at 6:13pm, Jean Catherine Muscat lost her 10-year battle with Metastatic breast cancer in her home in Anaheim, CA. She had just celebrated her 72nd birthday (although she swore we got the numbers mixed up and she was really 27). So, in celebration of her love filled life, we share what Jean was to all of us:
Jean was: Born on August 10th, 1945 in Yonkers, NY to James and Mary (Contrino) Sferrazza. Some joke that her loving presence in the world was enough to end WWII which followed shortly after her birth. 
Jean was…
Classy: everything classy. From her clothes to her voice…just how she moved through life was classy. And when that classy woman blew her nose at the table or told a dirty joke at dinner, it was ten times funnier because it was shockingly her.  
Organized: for those of us who lived with her, we knew not to leave post-it notes or receipts around because in a minute they would end up in the trash during an organization frenzy. Every Sunday night she'd do the bills, organize the house and do her nails. The rituals that made her, her. 
A hard worker: being a single mother never held her back. She worked her way up the corporate ladder at Pacific Bell. Her team deemed her the best boss they will ever have at her retirement party. She never called in sick and never complained about work. And when she moved to working with her brother, Jimmy, at 3 J's Auto Body, she earned them business. Just being herself; talking to people. She loved to work and loved people. 
A birthday girl: Birthdays were her way of showing love. She never missed an opportunity to buy a card, bring a gift, plan a party or send a cute text to let her loved ones know she was thinking about them. And those celebrations usually ended with her clearing the table to get ready for a family card game. 
Jean was…
Holiday cheer, defined: her daughters still got gifts from "Santa" and stuffed stockings. She decorated months in advance and loved her Spode dish sets for the holidays. Her warm and crazy Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve celebrations will be deeply missed and are irreplaceable.
A dancer: she danced liked no one was looking. To Prince. On Mother's Day. To swing music with her sister, Marie. At dance clubs with her husband, Ed. If there was music on, she would dance. 
A traveler: she loved new experiences. She traveled cross country in an RV with Ed for her retirement trip and sent post cards to loved ones at home describing how much fun she was having. 
A cook: Well…there were the cooking mishaps…like when she accidentally made an entire salad of cilantro or forgot the rolls in the microwave (more than one time). And would laugh it off. She was great about laughing at life. But she also made the absolute best pasta broccoli, fried eggplant, oatmeal cookies and broccoli casserole. And who knows what those little ham and pickle bites were on Christmas Eve but they were amazing and we will miss them. 
A car lover: True to form in our family, Jean loved her cars. From her Impala (she cried when she had to sell her beautiful Impala) to her Camaro (complete with T Tops) to her brand-new Maxima with cream seats and carpet (that we couldn't put our feet on without getting smacked). 
Jean was:
The perfect mix of New York Italian fire and California breeziness. 
A loving Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Daughter, Wife, Niece, Cousin, Aunt and Friend to name a few. She is survived by her husband Ed, daughters Deanna & Misti, grandchildren Tyler & Erik, mother Mary and siblings Marie & Jimmy. 
Jean was also surrounded by all the people above, feeling an incredible amount of gentle love, patience, respect, peace and caring in her final days. Even in her passing, her gratitude can be felt for the love that surrounded her. 

To show more love, please visit the following link for service times, dates and locations for Jean: http://forestlawn.tributes.com/mobile/services/105159475?utm_term=ROS1Nat1-forestlawn.tributes.com

Many organizations offered support during Jean's battle with cancer and will continue long after today. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the organizations listed on her tribute page on her behalf.

Jean leaves behind a wave of unconditional love, affection and acceptance. She will be missed.