Jean Rezek

Jean Rezek, 96, a longtime and beloved resident of Hyden, Kentucky, passed away on September 30, 2026, at the home of her granddaughter, Kelly Eberth, in Midlothian, Virginia, where she had spent the last six years surrounded by the family she loved so dearly.

Jean was born October 10, 1929, in Hyden, Kentucky, and spent nearly all of her life in Leslie County. Strong-willed, fiercely independent, intelligent, and remarkably resilient, Jean possessed a wonderful personality and a genuine love for people that made her a treasured member of her community.

She attended Vanderbilt University and went on to build a long and varied career defined by hard work and public service. She worked for many years as both a court reporter and legal secretary before serving as director of the Leslie County Ambulance Service. Never one to believe that age should determine what a person was capable of doing, Jean became an EMT herself at the age of 60.

She later served as manager of the Hyden road department and continued working until her retirement at the remarkable age of 84.

Jean’s connection to Hyden and Leslie County extended far beyond her professional life. She had an extraordinary memory and an incredible knowledge of the people, places, families, and events that shaped the county. Over the years, she became something of an unofficial historian of Leslie County. Even after moving to Virginia, she remained connected to the community she loved through Facebook, particularly the Hyden and Leslie County groups, where she continued sharing memories, answering questions, and contributing her knowledge of the area’s history. People knew that if Jean remembered it, there was a good chance she could tell you the story behind it.

And Jean loved telling those stories.

Her mind remained remarkably sharp throughout her life, and she could recall people and events from decades earlier with astonishing detail. She loved reading, and when her eyesight made traditional reading more difficult, she simply adapted, listening to audiobooks every day. She maintained a lifelong interest in politics and was active in the political life of her community in Hyden.

Jean was also a woman of Christian faith. Her spiritual foundation began during her childhood at the Presbyterian Church in Hyden, and her faith remained an important part of the person she was throughout her life.

As much as Jean loved her community and its history, nothing mattered more to her than her family.

She shared an especially extraordinary bond with her granddaughter, Kelly Eberth. Jean raised Kelly from the time she was six months old until she left home for college. Although they were grandmother and granddaughter by birth, theirs was, in every way that mattered, the relationship of a mother and daughter.

After the death of Jean’s mother, Mahala Duff, in 1988, Jean and Kelly became an especially close family of two. Their bond continued throughout Kelly’s adulthood, and in 2020, after Jean experienced a fall and needed additional support, their lives came full circle when Jean moved into Kelly’s home in Virginia. There she spent the final six years of her life with Kelly, Kelly’s husband Bobby, and the family she adored.

Those years together were an extraordinary gift to both of them.

Jean loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren deeply and took tremendous pride in watching the generations that followed her grow. Family loyalty was at the heart of who she was. She was a source of strength, wisdom, history, and unconditional love to those fortunate enough to call her family.

Jean is survived by her daughter, Frances Mullins; her beloved granddaughter, Kelly Eberth, and husband, Bobby Eberth; her grandson, Curt Rezek; her niece, Grace Cho (Matt Cho); her nephew, Robert Duff (Stacy Roy); and her great-grandchildren, Lauren Eberth, Dylan Eberth, Claire Gilliam, and Alex Gilliam.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Mahala Duff; her father, Curt Duff; her son, C.B. Rezek; her brother, Don Duff; and her granddaughter, Brittany Rezek Gilliam.

Jean Rezek lived nearly a century, and hers was a life filled with remarkable change. Through it all, she remained unmistakably herself—independent, strong, resilient, curious, sharp-minded, devoted to her family, and deeply connected to the Kentucky community she called home for most of her life.

For those who knew her in Leslie County, Jean leaves behind decades of memories and stories. For her family, she leaves something even greater: the example of a woman whose strength, love, and devotion helped shape the generations who came after her.

And for Kelly, she leaves the immeasurable legacy of a mother.

Jean was deeply loved in this life; she will be deeply missed, and she will be carried in the hearts of those who loved her until the day they see her again.

Family and friends are invited to gather in remembrance of Jean on Saturday, October 17, at Dwayne Walker Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m., followed by funeral services at 2:00 p.m., with Reverend Billy Joe Lewis officiating.