Jean Ann Scherping Mueller

26 Sep Jean Ann Scherping Mueller

November 6, 1937 – September 04, 2025

Jean Ann Scherping Mueller passed peacefully on September 4, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jean was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on November 6, 1937 to Dr. and Mrs. Walter Scherping. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Mark Noble Mueller, her father, Dr. Walter Scherping, her mother, Mrs. Ruth Scherping, and her sister Mary Ruth Glatte. She is survived by her brother Jim Scherping, her children, Britt, Laura, Marcus, and John, her son and daughter in-laws, Dayne Freitag, Steven Kroll, Patricia Manwaring, and her grandchildren Sam Kroll (Zoe Powers Volker), Alex Freitag (Aimee Nunez), Melissa Kroll, Bailey Mueller, Greta Freitag, Max Manwaring-Mueller, Leo Manwaring-Mueller, and Ainslie Mueller. She is also survived by Kenneth Haase, a fellow Manitowoc native, with whom she was fortunate to have a long and loving second chapter of companionship.
Jean graduated from Northwestern University class in 1960 with a BA in Communications and also attended the University of Illinois Moser School of Business. She met her husband, Mark in Chicago during that time, and they were married in 1961. They spent a brief time in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to Madison, Wisconsin, where their family grew and many lifelong friendships were created. In 1976 Mark and Jean moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she resided until her passing.

Dynamic, social, and engaged are words often used to characterize Jean. She brought deep connection and positivity to everything she undertook in her life. Jean was ahead of her time in pursuing a successful career while also raising a family. Immediately after graduating from college she took a position in marketing and media sales for Woman’s Day magazine and also worked in programming for WTTW in Chicago. In Madison, Wisconsin, Jean developed her career expertise in higher education development work for the Elvehjem Art Museum at the University of Wisconsin. Following her move to Salt Lake City, Jean joined the staff of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, where she headed development efforts for more than 13 years before moving to the University of Utah Hospital and Health Sciences Department as a director of development. A crowning career accomplishment was her creation of The Educational Resource Development Council (ERDC) established in 1991. Today the Council is composed of over 90 women who represent philanthropic and professional interests across the Wasatch area. Over the past 28 years, ERDC members have donated more than $35M to U of U Health initiatives and more than $65M overall to the University of Utah.
An avid art and art-pottery collector, Jean had an eye for discovering and celebrating interesting and beautiful things. This extended to her amazing fashion sense where she always pulled together an outfit in a way that was unique and stylish. Her home was her sanctuary of comfort, design, and style that served as a backdrop to her incredible ability to host parties, events, and gatherings.
An amazing mother, grandmother, and friend, Jean will be missed deeply by all that knew her.
A memorial service to celebrate Jean’s life will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Salt Lake City, 569 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 on Friday October 10th at 1:00 p.m.
A cause close to Jean’s heart was her affiliation with the Educational Resource Development Council (ERDC), a program at University of Utah Health that supports student scholarships, research and clinical programs. Gifts in memory of Jean can be made to the Jean Mueller ERDC Endowment, U of U Health Advancement, P.O Box 58006, Salt Lake City, UT, 84158.