Willa ‘Jean’ Hall Flattery, was born on July 17, 1935, in Prichard, Alabama. The daughter of an enterprising grocer and a homemaker, she learned the value of hard work early on in life, a value that she applied daily.

Jean grew up in Pensacola, Florida, and spent most of her young life riding her bike with neighborhood friends, helping her dad with his grocery and flower shop, visiting her cousins on their farm, and attending Brownsville Assembly of God church. She made lifelong friends in Florida that she cherished throughout her years.

Jean was always open-minded and ready for new opportunities. She attended Asbury College where she received her Bachelor’s in Home Economics, a degree that she applied to teaching. Her first job was in Savannah, Georgia, a town that she remembered fondly. A good friend then invited her to move to San Antonio, Texas, to teach there. This move opened the opportunity to start her Master’s Degree at Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas, in the summer of 1961. There, she met a young pastor at the University Assembly of God church named Warren Flattery. After a courtship of just three dates, Warren proposed marriage by pointing to an airplane in the sky and saying, “That airplane could be on its way to China. One day I want to be a missionary to China or someplace else in the world. Would you like to go with me?” Though Jean had never been outside the United States, she said “yes”, changing the trajectory of her life, and thereafter dedicating herself to missions work.

Jean and Warren were first missionaries to the Middle East, in Jordan. They took a two-month around-the-world voyage to get there, visiting Assemblies of God missionaries and national churches across Asia. In Jordan, Jean absolutely fell in love with the people and the culture. She and Warren helped establish a Christian church by forming relationships and leading a daily prayer meeting. They lived in Jordan through challenging times, including the Six Day War and Black September, and eventually had to be evacuated to Europe. They relocated their ministry to Brussels, Belgium, where they first joined the staff of Continental Theological Seminary, and later the International Correspondence Institute (now called Global University). Jean was known as a warm, gracious host to scores of houseguests and often organized events and dinners for the ministry teams.

In Belgium, their daughter, Lisa, was born, and Jean dedicated herself to Lisa’s upbringing. She was a caring and loving mother, always looking out for the best for her daughter. Being a mother, and later a grandmother, was the highlight of her life.

After 18 years in Belgium, the family returned to the United States to work at Global University in Texas. They were soon called back overseas, this time to Israel. Jean once again adored her time in the Middle East, working first as the Academic Dean at the Jerusalem School, then teaching Christian education courses at various churches throughout the country.

For the last two decades, Jean and Warren lived in Springfield, Missouri, where they continued their involvement in international ministry with Global Initiative and Life Publishers, working well into their 80s, as they loved the work so much.

Jean was known for never letting the grass grow under her feet and for always undertaking her work with class, excellence, and grace. No matter what she applied herself to – whether it was raising her daughter, starting a French Christian bookstore in Brussels, helping with missions fundraising for church planting projects, or editing a pastor’s magazine translated into eight languages, Jean put her whole self into everything she did.

She lived completely guided by her faith, loving her Lord, and praying every day for each member of her family and friends. In her short illness, she fought valiantly, never complained, and prayed without ceasing, just like she lived her life.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents and sister. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, James ‘Warren’ Flattery, her daughter, Lisa Flattery McCaskill (James), grandson, James ‘Warren’ McCaskill, extended family, and countless friends from around the world.

A celebration of life service will be held on Thursday, August 1, at 2pm Central Time at Central Assembly of God church at 1301 N Boonville Ave, Springfield, MO. A viewing will be held at 1pm. The service will also be livestreamed at Centralassembly.tv

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to Life Publishers for the Burkina Faso Fire Bible project. Go to firebible.org/legacy-giving and designate the gift for “Jean Flattery-Mooré” (Mooré is one of the languages of Burkina Faso).

Arrangements are under the compassionate direction of Greenlawn Funeral Home North in Springfield, Missouri.