Nana Jessen was born in Copenhagen in 1942, the eldest child of Bodil and Poul Jessen. She and her brother Jacob and sister Marianne grew up in Christianshavn, a picturesque neighborhood on the old harbor with a canal running through it. Many of the buildings date to the 18th century and the neighborhood includes ‘Our Saviour’s Church’, built during the Danish Renaissance and where Nana was baptized. She attended the cathedral choir school, and, at the age of 18, came to America for the first time to study on a Fulbright fellowship for a year at Connecticut College. That summer, she toured the USA on a 99-day Greyhound ticket, meeting descendants of family members who had emigrated to America in earlier generations. Nana went on to spend summers studying at Oxford and Edinburgh, earning a master’s degree in English and French from the University of Copenhagen, and, later, a PhD in English at the University of Maryland.
Nana returned to the USA with Bob in 1966 as newlyweds, and together they settled in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, DC. Their first Sunday in Washington, Bob’s hometown, they came to Mass at Holy Trinity and remained as parishioners all the years after. A devoted couple and parents, they raised three sons, Niels, Paul, and Ben. Nana taught English literature at Trinity College and American University for 10 years and then for 15 years at Connelly School of the Holy Child, where she enthusiastically introduced students to Jane Austen, Shakespeare and other authors, as well as escorting trips with them to England, Ireland, and France. In the classroom at least, she retained her “received pronunciation” English accent.
In 1992, Nana transitioned to administration at the International Student Exchange Program, then operating from Georgetown University. In that capacity, she practiced academic diplomacy with universities in 32 states, as well as Canada, India, Reunion, and at least 20 countries in Europe, where her fluency in French, German, and the Nordic languages proved useful. After retiring from ISEP in 2009, Nana focused on writing. She published three books and finished editing a fourth this summer in Denmark that is now ready for publication. She also took theology classes at Georgetown and joined Trinity’s Ignatian Spirituality Ministry as a spiritual “Companion.”
Nana enjoyed what she described as a “perfect summer” at the family’s country place in Tisvilde, Denmark, a village lying between the sea and a large forest and beyond that, rolling, green countryside. The weather was flawlessly mild, with deep blue skies and gentle winds, day after day sunny. Most of the family had gathered there from Denmark and from Holland, England, and Italy as well as from America, including son Ben, Nadia, and their two boys, Lev and Martin, and their cousin Abraham who had been working on a farm in Spain. Many old friends of Nana’s visited as well. Abraham drove Nana and Bob to Jutland to visit another very dear friend at her farm on a small island in a fjord and then more family in Aarhus. Nana read a lot, and she finished the final editing of her latest book to be delivered to the publisher when she returned home. She tired easily but remained quite active.
She and Bob arrived back home late on August 26th, tired, even after an easy flight. Ben picked them up at Dulles, took them home and brought in the luggage. Thursday and Friday, they unpacked, opened a lot of mail, and she spoke to friends. She also called family in Denmark to tell them that she and Bob had arrived home safely, and they reminded each other what a “perfect” time they had, but Nana did feel weary. Saturday, it was difficult for her to get around, and she contacted her oncologist to confirm an appointment that she had with him the next week. Sunday morning, Nana told Bob that she wouldn’t be able to get to Mass because she had trouble moving. Ben had planned to take them there, and when she told him she wasn’t well enough to, he decided to take her to Sibley Hospital’s emergency room instead. The initial scans were concerning, revealing that the cancer had likely spread throughout her body, and she was admitted to the oncology ward for further tests and observation. The staff’s expectation then was still that she would return home in a few days, and the family made arrangements for home-based care services. Tuesday morning, Linda Arnold, a chaplain at the hospital, an old friend, and Holy Trinity parishioner, visited. Nana was wide awake and lucid, and they had a long talk. Nana told Linda what gospel she wanted read at her funeral, whenever that might be. Meanwhile that morning, eldest son Niels hurried down from Vermont.
The doctors had confirmed that cancer had spread to her abdomen, her bones, and her brain, and that her liver was struggling to function. On Wednesday afternoon, Barbara Bordelon, a fellow parishioner and friend of many years, visited, and she and Nana talked for an hour. Nana remarked that she was so happy to have a conversation that didn’t center on her health. However, the negative indicators continued to worsen. Thursday morning, the palliative care doctor called home and asked that the family come to the hospital. Niels, Ben, Paul, and Bob came and with Nana spoke to the doctor who said that no more could be done to treat her condition and that she was dying, perhaps within a few weeks but more likely a few days. Nana, who seemed so much her usual self, took that news calmly and was resigned to it. She said she wanted to close her eyes and think of her family, her children and grandchildren, together in Tisvilde and that she would like to listen to Bach. Later, in the afternoon, however, Nana took a nap from which she slipped into another consciousness, unaware of where she was. She was heavily medicated, and not in pain.
Niels took Bob home about six o’clock and they had dinner together. Ben stayed beside his mom for the next few hours, holding her hand in his, till Niels returned to keep vigil through the night. He had brought a copy of Pride and Prejudice to read to her, though she remained asleep. She was quiet, but by eleven o’clock her breathing became much quieter. Niels held her hand and called for a nurse who came in and confirmed that Nana had died. He called to tell Ben and Bob, and grandson Liam who had just arrived by train from New York. Niels read to Nana, while he waited for them to arrive at the hospital. Nana looked peaceful. The four sat with her until about 3 AM, sharing memories of her as wife, mother, grandmother. Bob kissed her before he left, but did not say “good-bye”.