A memorial mass celebrating the life of Mrs. Jean Carol Zentner, 94, of Monroe, Louisiana will be held at 1:00 P.M. Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Monroe, Louisiana with Fr. Do Vu officiating. Private family interment services will follow in the Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home Monroe, Louisiana.

Jean was born in Berlin, Wisconsin on 3/28/1931, and raised on a dairy farm there. Her coming into this world did not occur under the most favorable conditions… Her mother went into labor during a blizzard, and the planned 10 mile drive in the family truck to the country doctor was no longer a viable option. Alternatively, her uncle hitched one of their horses to a sled carrying his sister and her unborn child, and made a shorter, though still arduous trek to a more accessible midwife. And there, a successful delivery was performed. From that inauspicious beginning and throughout her life, Jean never shied away from adversity or hard work.

Jean attended Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she obtained her English degree and also met her future husband, Tom, who was pursuing a doctoral degree at the Appleton Institute of Paper Chemistry. Following their marriage, they relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they began their family. Early in their marriage, Jean taught English at Middletown Junior High School in Middletown, Ohio. One of her students there was Jerry Lucas, a future 1960 Olympic gold medalist, NBA hall of famer and author of the NYT bestseller, The Memory Book. Jean would occasionally joke that she was solely responsible for his genius, one of her many witticisms.

After 8 years in Ohio, the family relocated to Monroe, LA, which became their permanent home. There, she became involved in numerous civic organizations, including the Strauss Theatre as a charter member and patron, the Junior League of Monroe as a member and sustainer, as well as the Monroe Garden Club. Jean also served on the Altar Guild at Jesus the Good Shepherd Church.

But her focus and passion in life were her family, church and many friends. She had numerous talents, with the most appreciated being her phenomenal culinary skills. There were never leftovers in the Zentner household. She was an excellent seamstress and flower gardener, and her favorite to grow were impatiens. Jean was an avid tennis player, playing doubles well into her 70s. She was a lifelong devotee of Bridge and enjoyed playing in several clubs. She loved traveling and enjoyed many trips domestically and abroad with her husband and friends.

Jean always saw the best in everything and everyone. She possessed a steely calm in approaching any challenge, much like the movement of a duck on water…calm and serene on the surface but paddling like heck underneath. She was forever humble about her many talents and accomplishments, and seldom, if ever, complained. Her optimism was infectious to all who knew her. I Corinthians 13:4 best describes her character… “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Jean is preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Dr. Thomas G. Zentner; parents, Frank and Genevieve Lorenz; sister, Sister Ellen Lorenz and her daughter, Ann Zentner.

Survivors include her children, Jane Zentner of The Woodlands, Texas, Thomas Zentner Jr. and wife, Marion of Monroe, Louisiana, Dr. Scott D. Zentner and wife, Maggie of Monroe, Louisiana, and Sara Zentner McAtee and husband, Steve of Enchanted Oaks, Texas; ten grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren.

The family wishes to thank the entire staff of the Gardens of Georgia Tucker, as well as the Elara Caring team, for their compassionate and professional care in the twilight of Jean’s long and purposeful life.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorials be made to Jesus the Good Shepherd Church or ARCO of Monroe, Louisiana.