Jeanne von Zastrow Endowed Scholarship

Jeanne von Zastrow was born in the desert of Southeastern Utah on a hot, summer day in 1955.  According to her, the red rocks and sandstone ran through her veins ever since.  Her love of the desert and passion for conservation and outdoor recreation would inform many of her personal philosophies. She didn’t just love nature, though; she was a force of nature.  She lived her life fully and intentionally.  She was a visionary with seemingly limitless energy, creativity, and generosity whose sense of adventure and admiration of different cultures and religions would influence her and those closest to her throughout her entire life.

After graduating from USU with a degree in business administration, Jeanne’s first job out of college was as a high school teacher. She was a phenomenal teacher and mentor and taught everything from business ethics to fashion. She knew how to inspire students and make learning fun. Jeanne mentored dozens of young people throughout her life and rejoiced in their successes.

Jeanne married the love of her life, David von Zastrow, in a cave at Lake Powell in 1981. A few years later, they moved to Washington, DC, where Jeanne worked for the Reagan administration, and then on to California for a position as a Regional Director for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI).  In 1994, decades before remote work would catch on, she convinced FMI to let her work remotely out of Moab, Utah.  She was finally able to come home to her beloved canyons. It was quite some time before her superiors realized that Moab wasn’t actually a suburb of Salt Lake City, like she had suggested.

Across her 29-year career at FMI, Jeanne advanced out-of-the-box thinking. She had the foresight to masterfully champion for sustainability issues to be a priority within the food industry.  As a visionary and eloquent communicator, she spoke regularly at conferences around the globe, while gracefully juggling the diversity of requests from board members and CEOs from the busy phone at her office on 100 South in Moab. Despite her status and busy schedule, she had a gift of always finding time for others.  She mentored with humility, served with dignity, and gave indiscriminately.

Jeanne changed lives. She made the world a kinder, beautiful, and more magical place.  If you knew Jeanne von Zastrow, you’re likely a better person for it.  Her integrity, empathy and open-mindedness were her way of life. She would be honored and humbled to know that she is memorialized forever, and that her legacy of giving will continue through this endowment scholarship fund. 

I believe that Jeanne von Zastrow lives on in each of us in the moments that we give, forgive, serve, and create.

Written lovingly by her son, Max, family, and friends.

 

In honor of Jeanne, family and friends are establishing the Jeanne von Zastrow Endowed Scholarship to benefit students from Grand County.  Scholarship recipients will be selected according to the following criteria:

1. The applicant shall be a resident of Grand County, Utah, OR a graduate of Grand County High School, Utah. 
2. The applicant shall have a minimum GPA of 2.5.
3. The applicant shall demonstrate financial need
4. Statement of what Grand County has meant to you and how you plan to utilize your college experience and provide a lasting impact back to Grand County.