Jean Yerrington
Jean Yerrington, executive director of National Brokerage Agencies, Inc., died peacefully at her home on October 1, after a short battle with brain cancer.
Jean joined NBA 15 years ago when it was a small yet dynamic national marketing organization comprised primarily of former Manhattan Life agents. Today, thanks in great part to Jean’s skills, the organization’s numbers are strong and, as she said in a recent email, the group “leaves a footprint for all to respect and admire.”
NBA Secretary Greg Stadler, Crossroads Financial Group, DePere, WI, said, “Jean’s impact on the NBA organization, and on the lives of its members, is truly immeasurable; and she will be sorely missed. We have lost one of NBA’s greatest champions.”
With more than 25 years in brokerage, Jean’s experience encompassed management, operations, marketing, recruitment and sales as vice president of a brokerage general agency. She received a BS degree in business administration from West Chester University and an MBA from Penn State University. She began her career in the travel industry as a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines.
Jean’s kindness and true caring are traits that anyone who met her were immediately touched by, but her sense of humor, bright smile, twinkling eyes and gracious manner made most feel as if they were longtime friends. She often said that the relationships created with her many insurance colleagues was the most rewarding part of her career.
Jean is survived by her three daughters, Jaclyn Haines, Jennifer Waltz and Joan LeGrande, their spouses, six grandchildren, and the love of her life, Paul Wright.
In a panel discussion that appeared in the March issue of Broker World, Jean wrote, “Being a single mother of three girls I learned many skills that translated well to the business world. I learned the importance of being a good negotiator. I learned that the decisions I made in my role as the ‘leader’ of the family were not always popular, but were necessary. I learned that being consistent, honest and fair was vital to interpersonal relationships. I learned that getting results was more important than getting credit for those results. I learned to listen and not just to hear. I learned to multi-task.”
Those words perfectly sum up why Jean will be sorely missed by many—including her friends at Broker World. [SAC]
