Jean was born February 8, 1943 in Hoboken, New Jersey to Bruce and Regina (Ryan) Quinn. She grew up in The Bronx and North Bellmore, New York and graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook with a B.S. in Biology. It was in the cafeteria at Stony Brook that Jean met Tom Harsha, who became her husband of 47 years. They were married in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1965 and soon moved to Tennessee where she earned an M.S. in Biology from Middle Tennessee State University. While they lived in Tennessee, their sons Peter and Evan where born. In 1974, the family moved to the San Fernando Valley; moving to California had been Jean's goal since watching the Walt Disney TV show as a child during the cold and dismal New York winters. Jean was a full-time mother until both her boys were in school, and then she began her studies to obtain a Medical Technologist license at California State University, Northridge. In 1979, she began working at the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Sepulveda, California. Over the next twenty years she held a variety of positions, eventually becoming Chief Medical Technologist. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, she played a large role in the design and construction of a new medical laboratory for the rebuilt hospital. In 1997, with her children grown, she and Tom moved to Seal Beach, and Jean finished her VA career at the hospital in Long Beach. Following her retirement in 1999, Jean enjoyed traveling extensively and participating in off-road Jeep Jamborees. After Tom retired in 2004, they moved to a new home in Fallbrook, California where she was an active member of the Fallbrook Camera Club and a volunteer at Fallbrook Hospital.

Jean is survived by her husband, Tom; two sons, Peter (Jill) and Evan (Joyce); three grandsons, Douglas, Theodore, and Gordon; sister, Carol Gandarillas; as well as two brothers, Bruce and Thomas Quinn. She also leaves behind a large number of friends and acquaintances who will remember her and her kindnesses for a long time to come.

A Visitation will be held for Jean on Thursday, May 9, 2013 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Berry-Bell & Hall Mortuary, and a Funeral Mass will take place the next day (Friday, May 10, 2013) at Old Mission San Luis Rey Parish (4050 Mission Ave Oceanside, CA 92057) at 10:30 a.m. with her burial and then a reception to follow the service.