Mithun, Jacqueline Stearns age 79, passed away peacefully in the presence of family on April 13, 2021. Jill was an anthropologist; a social worker; and a loving sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and great-aunt. We will miss her curiosity; her practical, yet adventurous spirit; and her appreciation for nature and the outdoors. Jill was born in Boston on July 2, 1941 to parents Howard W. Mithun, who served as General Counsel for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Jacqueline R. Mithun, an elementary school teacher in St. Paul. She attended Visitation School, in St. Paul, and graduated from Northrop (Blake) School in 1959. At Cornell University, Jill majored in anthropology, and went on to earn a Ph.D in applied anthropology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She taught sociology and anthropology at Sangamon State University in Springfield, now a campus of the University of Illinois system, and at SUNY-Old Westbury. Jill also worked for the State Department in Washington D.C. and later obtained a Master of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. Jill grew up sailing, skiing, and hiking - activities she later shared with her nieces. She was a longtime member of the Minneapolis Hiking Club and the North Star Ski Touring Club. Jill enjoyed traveling and exploring the places she visited. She became close with relatives in Norway, whom she visited on several occasions, and she did research on genealogy that is a gift for future generations. Jill was a lifelong learner and enjoyed reading, watching movies, and going to the theater. She was also a prolific letter writer and sent thoughtfully selected newspaper clippings to family and friends - physical correspondence that was special in a digital age. Jill is survived by brother in law Cameron Duncan; nieces Lucia Duncan (with husband Miguel Huerta) and Anna Duncan (with partner Tony Macias); grand nieces and nephew Lucinda, Ramona, and Camilo; cousins Marcy, Katherine, Bill, Louis, and Patrick Tilton, and Jeanne and Scott Leake; and extended family and friends. There will be a family memorial on Saturday, May 29 at 3pm, in Edina. For information about the memorial, please call Cameron Duncan: 505-699-5705. To honor her legacy, contributions can be made to the fellowship Jill and her sister Susan established in honor of their mother, the Jaqueline R. Mithun Fellowship, University of Minnesota Foundation, PO Box 860266, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0266 or to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska MN 55318.

Published on May 23, 2021