Jean Bender Mahoney

Jean Bender Mahoney, of Newtown Square, PA, a beloved community member, passed away on August 28, 2025, at the age of 85.

Born in Philadelphia, PA she was the daughter of the late John and Jean (nee Lamendola) Garaguso. The loss of her father, a prestigious Philadelphia attorney, was deeply felt by five year old Jean (familiarly known as Jeannie). Her courageous mother and very caring older brother helped Jean and played a vital role in her early development.

Jeannie’s education was further nurtured in the halls of St. Leonard’s Academy – a sacred haven run by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus that molded her into the exceptional woman she would later become.

She attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania with an initial goal of earning a degree in sociology. That plan was soon to change. Financing her own education, Jeannie undertook a working internship which brought her to the attention of three of the early pioneers of the emerging computer age – the inventors of the first commercial computer and the creator of the first high level computer programming language. Under their tutelage, she found a calling that laid the foundation for the balance of her life. After leaving University of Pennsylvania, she held a succession of technical positions with leading computer companies, notably RCA and Honeywell.

Jeannie then decided to broaden her role in her chosen profession by joining a leading personnel search and placement firm, Businessmen’s Clearing House in Philadelphia. With her acquired expertise in information technology, she focused on the search and placement of individuals for computer-related positions. Extremely successful at that, she was to become and remain the leading sales representative while at Businessmen’s.

At this juncture in her career, Jeannie made another pivotal decision – to leave the corporate world and branch out to found her own firm, Jean Bender Consultants (JBC).

After a number of successful placements in the early years of the firm, JBC caught the attention of senior management in several major organizations. With Jeannie’s personal involvement, JBC gained the trust and confidence of those organizations to earn long term engagements. In succeeding years, she expanded JBC’s offerings to include a wide spectrum of Information Technology as well as Management Consulting Services.

Throughout her long and successful career one thing stands out – Jeannie’s distinguishing characteristic. She was, through and through, a beautiful person. Her sincerity, empathy and compassion were felt by all who came to know her. People wanted to have Jeannie in their lives. The friendships she formed in conducting her business were too many to enumerate and many lasted throughout her lifetime.

Her personal life was equally rich and fulfilling. She was married for 41 remarkable years to her beloved husband, William “Bill” Mahoney, with whom she shared a deep bond characterized by love and companionship. She is also survived by her loving brother, John Garaguso, his wife Irma, Jeannie’s dear friend, as well as numerous colleagues and friends.

Jeannie and Bill sought to enjoy life to the fullest. A lifelong lover of animals, dogs in particular, the Bender-Mahoney household was never without the presence of multiple canine pets. When not in their Echo Valley residence, they traveled, with pets in tow, to their other homes in Jupiter, Florida and Avalon, New Jersey. When not basking in the sand and surf at those locations (a Jeannie favorite pastime), Bill and Jean enjoyed a full social life entertaining their good friends often in each location.

A Celebration of Jeannie’s Life will be held at a later date, with her internment conducted privately.

Jean Bender Mahoney will always be remembered for the many lives she touched and the heartfelt joy and enrichment she brought to each of them.

Donations in Jeannie’s memory can be made to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, https://stjude.org/donate/  or the SPCA, https://www.pspca.org/donate.