On Sunday, April 16, 2023, Jean Haviland Denise Rue, mother of three sons, grandmother of ten and great-grandmother of five, passed away at age 90. She was preceded in death by her husband, former mayor of Fair Haven, William Conover Rue, Sr.
Jean was born at Riverview, during the depth of The Depression in 1933, on the day of the first presidential fireside chat by FDR. She was the only child of Edgar Vanderveer Denise and Dorothy Katherine Haviland. Jean was born prematurely weighing in at only 3 lbs and 14 oz. Doctors told her father that neither she nor her mother would survive; both women would live into their 90s.
Jean grew up in Fair Haven. She was a fount of Fair Haven history. Her father served 17 years as the mayor and her husband, Bill, would later serve as mayor and borough administrator. She grew up on the banks of the Navesink River, loved the area and lived all her life there. Jean was a proud graduate of Rumson High School (before it became regionalized) and furthered her education at Centenary College, graduating in 1953.