Jean Sanford Replinger

Jean Replinger, age 96, of Marshall, Minnesota, died peacefully on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Prairie Home Hospice – McLaughlin House in Marshall.

Celebration of Life events for Jean are currently pending, likely to be held in the spring of 2025. Please watch for updates.

https://www.marshallindependent.com/news/local-news/2024/11/replingers-legacy-reached-beyond-the-classroom-at-smsu/

Jean Sanford Replinger was a true explorer. On November 16th, 2024, after exploring this earth for 96 years, she turned her compass to the next horizon.

Throughout her life, Jean was always charting the course. The bow of her canoe, the tips of her skis, the handlebars of her bike pointed to that far glimmer in the distance—not only to reach it, but because she knew the journey would be so incredible. And most importantly, that she could share this journey with so many others, encouraging them along the way.

Growing up in Ladysmith, Wisconsin and spending her days on the Flambeau River, Jean would go on to devote much of her life to education and bringing joy to people’s lives through experiences in the wilderness. As faculty at Antioch College in Ohio, Jean developed and led the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center. She took groups of students on hiking trips in the Smoky Mountains; bike trips across the United States, the Canadian Rockies, and Europe; and spelunking expeditions to survey and map cave systems. She also created an international exchange program for teachers, joining cultures and ideas from around the world.

Jean’s passion for nature, for mentoring others, and for bringing people together transformed many institutions and programs, including the Minnesota Outward Bound School in Ely, where she championed and led the first Outward Bound experience for women. She also guided people with disabilities into the wilderness, ensuring that the wonder of the outdoors was available to everyone. As a professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, the next adventure was always just around the corner: winter camping, cross-country skiing, orienteering, whitewater canoeing.