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Jeannette passed from this life to eternal life in God on September 16, 2018. Jeannette was born in Franklin, Louisiana to P.J. “Pete” and Abbie Marin deGravelles on April 29, 1938. She is survived by seven step-children, who were also her nieces and nephews, and their spouses. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and was a loving and proud great-grandmother to 17 great-grandchildren. Jeannette is further survived by her sister Renee (and Tom) Stirling, brother-in-law T. Frere McNulty all of Franklin, and sister-in-law Jane deGravelles of Lafayette and numerous nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Besides her parents, Jeannette is preceded in death by her husband, Larry Piette, two brothers and four sisters: Marin Piette, Pete deGravelles, Bob Degravel, Mary Moreau, Abbie McNulty, Charlotte “Charlie” LeBlanc.
Jeannette was born the 7th of 8 children. She grew up in a close and loving family. Jeannette had a religious calling and joined the Marianites of the Holy Cross Order in Louisiana . She served the Marianites as a nun and made many good, lifelong friends.
Jeannette went to Wisconsin because of her strong family values. Jeannette’s oldest sister, Marin, moved to Wisconsin in 1946 after her marriage to Larry Piette from Appleton. When Marin became ill, Jeannette went up north to help take care of her sister and their 7 children. Sadly, Marin died in 1969. Jeannette and her sister’s widower fell in love and married. Larry’s children were between the ages of 5 and 20 at that time.
Late in life, Jeannette moved to a beautiful senior living community. She was provided comfort and support as her late-onset Alzheimer’s disease progressed.
The Catholic religion was always a central part of her life. As a a member of St. Mary Church, she served as a lector, Eucharistic minister, song leader, member of the liturgy committee, Director of Liturgical Ministries for 30 years, and a member of the Ladies of St. Mary.
Visitation and the funeral was held in Appleton, with a funeral Mass at St. Mary’s Church. A memorial service for Jeannette will be held at a future date at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin. The date of this service will be announced through this media.
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Women who retire when their husbands do may be giving up more wealth than they realize.
Married women overall are still in their peak earning years in their 50s and early 60s, while married men’s earnings are on the decline, said economist Nicole Maestas, an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School and the author of a recent study about couples’ income and retirement patterns.
As a result, married women typically sacrifice more Social Security wealth than married men when they retire early, said Maestas, who analyzed the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Survey of more than 20,000 people 50 and older.
Social Security benefits are based on a person’s 35 highest-earning years, so each additional year an older married woman works could replace an earlier year when her income was lower or she took time out of the workforce — for instance, to raise children. Because older married men are typically past their peak earning years, the same is not true for them, Maestas found.
But women do typically retire at the same time as their husbands, Maestas said. Since women in heterosexual couples typically marry men two or three years older, that means married women leave the workforce at younger ages.
WOMEN FACE EXTRA RISKS
Earlier retirements also mean less time to save for retirements that can stretch decades. That should give women pause, said Jean Setzfand, senior vice president of programs for AARP.
“We live longer. We spend more years in retirement. There are more years we have to consider financing,” Setzfand said.
Women’s longer life expectancies mean they’re likely to outlive their husbands, and they’re at greater risk of outliving their savings. Women are 80 percent more likely than men to live in poverty after age 65, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security.
Social Security checks, if they’re big enough, can be a powerful antidote to late-in-life poverty. Social Security benefits can’t be outlived, reduced by stock market downturns or stolen by fraudsters, Maestas notes.
DELAY SOCIAL SECURITY, IF NOT RETIREMENT
People don’t have to claim Social Security when they retire, although many do. Thirty-nine percent of women and 35 percent of men in 2017 filed at the earliest age, which is 62, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. That locks them into checks that are significantly smaller than if they’d waited a few years.
Benefits rise by about 7 percent each year between age 62 and full retirement age, which is currently 66. After that, checks increase by 8 percent each year until benefits max out at age 70. A $1,000 monthly benefit at 62 could be over $1,300 at 66 or over $1,700 at 70, even if someone stops working.
No other investment can offer that kind of guaranteed return, which is why planners often encourage their clients to tap other retirement funds if that allows them to delay claiming Social Security.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY
Financial considerations are just one part of the decision, financial planners say. Couples also have to consider the emotional and psychological issues of retiring together or apart.
“The beginning of retirement is an exciting time, and many couples enjoy starting that journey together,” said Stephanie Mushna, a certified financial planner in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
People approaching retirement age are often keenly aware that their time on earth, and their good health, won’t last forever. That can make it harder to stick it out, especially if it’s at a job they don’t like. But working even a year or two longer can have a dramatic impact on the viability of a couple’s financial plan and the amount they can spend in retirement, planners say.
Other options are stepping down to a lower-stress job or one with more flexibility. Instead of traveling full time with a retired spouse, wives may be able to schedule some extended vacations, Setzfand suggests.
That assumes, of course, that women can find such jobs. Many of the women who will be most dependent on Social Security may be locked into jobs with little flexibility, she notes. Health concerns and caregiving for family members also can push women out of the workforce earlier than they expect.
Maestas understands that not every married woman wants or will be able to keep working, but she hopes her research will at least prompt couples to discuss their options.
“It often does make sense to at least delay claiming Social Security,” Maestas said. “But there’s not really one right answer for everyone.”
—This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet.

Morgan City High School will look to win its third straight game when it hosts Donaldsonville High School in its final nondistrict contest Friday.
Morgan City enters the matchup after outscoring Hanson Memorial and North Central a combined 100-12 in the last two contests.
A week ago, the Tigers rolled up more than 320 yards rushing with nine touchdowns on the ground.
But things will get tougher for the Tigers this week as they face Class 3A Donaldsonville, a team that enters Friday’s contest with a 2-1 mark. Donaldsonville defeated Port Allen 32-0 a week ago.
Morgan City High School Coach Chris Stroud said they remind him of Patterson.
“They’re real big up front both on offense and the D-line, but they’re young,” Stroud said. “They lost of experience last year, but the kids they have are real good looking football players. They’re just inexperienced on the line.”
The offense includes wide receivers Jeffery Johnson and Christian Bell, who Stroud described as “two real good skill guys, probably going to be D-1 guys.” He said both likely run a 4.4 to 4.5 40-yard dash.
Offensively, Donaldsonville is mainly a spread offense.
“They do get in some two-back sets and run right at you with that big offensive line, but because of the athletes, they like to get in the spread,” Stroud said. “They’ll throw it to their receivers. They’ll run the jet sweep game, do a lot of different things.”
Stroud said the squad’s best position is their secondary.
“They got a lot of speed,” he said. “They play well in the secondary.”
As for the defense, he said that they will line up in a four-man front and they will blitz.
“Most of the time they’re either sending pressure or bluffing pressure (to) try to confuse you,” Stroud said. “They’ve got a real good D-line. They’re just young, a couple of sophomores and a junior, but they’re really good looking kids.”
Devonta Grogan leads Morgan City’s offense. He has carried the ball 19 times for 287 yards and four touchdowns, while he has completed 7 of 12 passes for 118 yards with one interception.
Kerwin Francois is his top receiver with three catches for 75 yards.