Barbara Jean Comstock

San Diego – Jean passed away on May 20 from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. She was a dedicated and loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Her kindness, affection and good humor will be remembered and missed by all who knew her. Jean was born in Blackpool, England, the daughter of Herbert and Catherine Fozard. She attended Elmslie girl’s school and then trained as a registered nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary. In 1955 she sailed to the U.S. with nursing school friends to work at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Cleveland. Two years later, after completing their contract at the Cleveland hospital, Jean and four friends purchased a used car and set out to see the country. They had an adventurous drive through the south and southwest on the way to San Diego. Here she met Peter Comstock, the love of her life, who was just leaving active duty service in the Navy. They married and, in 1960, moved to Ridgecrest, CA, where her husband had taken a civilian administrative position at the China Lake Naval Ordnance Test Station. Their children were born there and, in 1966, they left Ridgecrest, spent a year in Pasadena, and moved back to San Diego at the end of 1967. Jean, after guiding her children through elementary school, resumed her nursing career, working for various doctors over the next decade. In 1983 she went in another direction. She and her friend Joyce Kuelbs opened the Fashion Exchange resale shop in La Mesa, selling women’s fashions and eventually focusing on bridal and formal wear. As a store owner Jean worked with the La Mesa Town Council and Chamber of Commerce on planning a revitalization of the downtown area. While still engaged with her resale shop, Jean also found time for volunteer work, serving as project chair for the La Jolla Women’s Auxiliary of the San Diego Symphony in 1984, coordinating fund raising and public service activities. She also explored another career possibility, completing the University of San Diego Lawyer Assistant Program in 1986. In 1994, after the resale business was sold, Jean volunteered and served as an Ombudsman for the San Diego County Area Agency on Aging. This involved monitoring the status of patients in various nursing homes. The last dozen years of her life, before her fatal illness took hold, were spent spoiling her grandchildren. Jean kept her close ties to England, traveling there many times over the years to visit her parents, sister and brother, as well as aunts and cousins and their families, many of whom loved to visit her in San Diego. Jean was predeceased by her brother Kenneth Fozard and her daughter Catherine. She is survived by her husband Peter, her sister Betty Elliott in England, daughter Chelsea Tystad (Anders), her son Dr. Christopher Comstock, grandchildren Leif and Finn Tystad and Rebecca Comstock. A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 8 at 2 pm at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla, CA 92037