Jean Boehlke Anaporte

Jean (Boehlke) Anaporte Easton, a wonderfully unique poet, mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend to many, and died in Albany, New York on August 17, 2025. She was born in Buffalo, New York on July 19, 1942, grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, and lived in Rhode Island, Indiana, West Virginia, and New York. Jean graduated from University of Michigan in 1964, earned master’s degrees from Brown and Cornell Universities in 1970 and 1983 and a Doctorate from SUNY Albany in 1986.

Dr. Anaporte (or Kanga Noni to her grandchildren) was a lifelong educator, teaching poetry and writing in universities, schools, prisons, and mental health facilities. She empowered her students to think for themselves, question norms, and produce their best and most authentic work. Jean’s incisive and inventive mind gave her an exceptional sense of language which served her well as a poet, writer, and literary critic. She led poetry workshops and joined poetry collectives wherever she lived. In Indianapolis, she was selected as one of twelve winners of the 1991-1992 Poetry on the Buses competition. She wrote extensively on the poet Etheridge Knight, published in scholarly and poetry journals, and had a writing fellowship at Yaddo in 1999.

Jean was present in everything she did. You could recognize her regal, determined gait as she walked for several miles daily by the Kanawha River. She would routinely go for hour long swims in upstate New York lakes. She loved jazz and classical music, the rocky Maine coastline, and dancing. She was known for spending hours in museums, savoring each painting. She found peace in Buddhist teachings and mediation groups.

She was unable to articulate anything other than the truth as she experienced it. She was a feminist, a pacifist, and was intolerant of discrimination of any kind. If she saw someone being mistreated or oppressed, she would unhesitatingly fight for their rights.

She is survived by her daughter Delia Easton, son-in-law Charles Seagle, sister Susan Swartz, brother-in- law Nicholas (Sally) Easton, sister-in-law Alice (Ted) Geoffrey grandchildren Xela, Juniper, Stevyn, and Siobhan Seagle, numerous and much-loved nieces and nephews, and many friends. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Otto and Jean Boehlke, her former husband, Stephen W. Easton, and her beloved poodles. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to: Heifer International, Doctors without Borders, or Amnesty International.

A memorial service for friends and family is planned at the Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave. Delmar, on Saturday, September 20th at 3:00pm. The family will receive visitors from 1:00 to 3:00 before the service.