Jeannie was born in Southeast Washington, D.C., on October 20, 1943, the daughter of John and Ernestine Stipp.

She lived on Yorktown Road in Bethesda, MD until graduation from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in 1961. For two years in the late 1950s, her father’s employer (York Air Conditioning) relocated her family in the Philadelphia area (Drexel Hill, PA). A neighbor, Dick Clark, regularly gave Jeannie tickets to appear on a new television show, Bandstand, where she danced to and enjoyed the teen sensations of that era. Jeannie was a life-long fan of Elvis Presley and, later on, of Alan Jackson, and Scottie McCreery.

Her first marriage in 1961 to Barry Leslie gave her two children Brian (now deceased) and Laura (Carpenter). She met David Houseman in 1978, while employed at the Public Health Service in Rockville, MD. They were married on December 18, 1982 in Old Town, Alexandria at the Lee-Fendall House.

Jeannie worked for the National Governor’s Association (1983 - 1985), and from 1986 to 1996 she was the correspondence control officer for the Office of Management and Budget (EOP) under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Upon retirement, she was given the Seal of President of the United States – a tribute usually reserved for Cabinet-level Officers.

David and Jeannie were blessed with the birth of their son, Andrew, on August 15, 1995.

Although Jeannie has passed, her memory will continue to give comfort and joy to those she touched with her warmth, intellect, and beautiful smile.