Jeannine M. Thon, 78, of Grinnell and formerly of Searsboro, died on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at the Mayflower Community Health Care Center. A celebration of her life will be held 2:30 p.m., Saturday, May 9, 2015, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Interment will follow in the Searsboro Cemetery in Searsboro, Iowa. Visitation will be one hour prior to her service. Memorials may be directed to the Jeannine Thon Memorial Fund and sent in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Jeannine was born on January 27, 1937, to James Sr. and Marguerite Evelyn (Missey) Guthrie in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1947, the family moved to the Searsboro area. She graduated from Searsboro Community School in 1956. On June 24, 1961, she was united in marriage to Leonard "Bud" Thon at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell. Jeannine was known for her ability in the kitchen. She held a great passion for cooking. Bud and Jeannine owned and operated the Dixie Inn, in Grinnell. She also started B and J's, a café/grocery store in Searsboro, with her sister-in-law, Barb. She worked as a cook at the Grinnell Middle School and local restaurants for several years. Jeannine's favorite job was being the cook for the Grinnell Day Care. She also worked at Bates Flowers for several years. Jeannine enjoyed her flower gardens and "playing in the dirt". She rarely missed her grandchildren's activities. She loved a good conversation. Jeannine will always be remembered for her cinnamon rolls and fried chicken. Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Kim (Rick) Shutts of Searsboro; her granddaughter, Amber (Dan) Goemaat; her grandson, Bryan (Allison) Shutts; six great grandchildren, Trace, Cory and Dawson Goemaat; Wyatt, Angus and May Shutts, all of New Sharon; her sisters-in-law, Veronica Guthrie of Grinnell and Barbara Meredith of Lynnville and several nieces and nephews. Jeannine was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 1984 and her brother, James M. Guthrie, Jr. in 1976.